Fate: Zero Survival
by Death Obelisk
Summary: A re-telling of Fate Zero. This time only a certain magus killer gets the servant he desires while the rest of the Masters are in for the ride of their lives. How will the King of Knights face against some of the most overpowered Servants in the whole of Lore? Stay tuned to find out. Lots of Inspiration from The Infamous man and Fate:Zero Sense.
1. New Servants

Angra Maiyu was pissed as hell. It wanted to yell and screw the shit out of Saber for what had happened during the Third Grail War. But then again, there is only so much it could do due to it not having any mouth or hands whatsoever. The mighty Persian God of Darkness, Avenger class of the third Holy Grail war, was now nothing more than a living consciousness for the corrupted Grail, a ghost of the past if one may call. For sixty years end on end, it had its ass seated on the throne of heroes and you can be damned sure it was aching. The Grail was truly a horrible place to kill time, especially since one could only wait in boredom for the next Grail war, not like there was PlayStation or Nintendo that could magically materialize with an unlimited supply of games.

To add on to its dismay were the next lineup of servants. Seriously, with a servant as broken as Archer, the war would be over as soon as fuck. The Caster class dude also had a few screws loose as well as a freaking obsession with kids and a certain virgin. Berserker could not stand breathing the same air as Saber for five seconds before going all rape mode on her. The rest of the other classes all had heroes that were too commonplace and freaking predictable. In other words, the upcoming war could be easily summarized into one word: BORING. Angra Maiyu could only mentally face-palm itself. It was sure as hell not going to spend another sixty years rotting in the Grail. At the very least, the war should be more spiced up for his liking. Yes, as the source of all evil in the world, it would remake the war in its image. After all, the throne is not lacking in any heroes or for the matter of fact, villains.

However, it decided to keep the Saber class the same. It had a bone to pick with it from the last war and vengeance would be served, mark its words. What more benefitting to crown the King of Knights and knock her pretty ass of her throne with some off the most dangerous heroes ever lived throughout the Lore. With a sick mental smile, the Fourth Holy Grail War began to spin into motion.

**Fuyuki Church Basement**

Kotomine Kirei had always been a cautious man. When he had first realized that he was to be a master of the fourth Holy Grail war, he had discussed the perfect strategy with his master, Tokiomi Tohsaka, making sure that nothing would go wrong. He had chosen the perfect catalyst for the war, a fragmented white skull mask that would summon forth the servant that he desired. After all, he was indebted to Tokiomi for making him his apprentice and he would carry out any means necessary to help him achieve the Grail. In the basement, he had painfully taken an hour to carve out the summoning circle to ensure that it was perfect, all the while muttering the ritual chant under his breath. As soon as it was complete, he placed the catalyst in the centre of the circle, cleared his throat and began the ritual.

"_Silver and Iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg._

_The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in four directions close, coming from the crown, the three forked road that leads to the kingdom circulates._

_Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill)._

_Repeat every five times_

_Simply shatter once filled._

_- I announce_

_Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword_

_In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide this feeling, this reason, answer._

_Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead._

_You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance-!"_

As soon as Kirei finished the chant, a semi-explosion happened from the middle of the circle. Black smoke began to pour out of the circle simultaneously. Kirei kept his hand to his face, desperately trying to see through the thick cloud of smoke. Somewhere inside, he knew that the ritual had gone terribly wrong.

As soon as the smoke cleared, Kirei's eyes widened in shock. Not because of amazement and Hassan I Sabbah was standing there, not because of shock due to him summoning the wrong servant but that of anger as there was no servant at all!

"What the hell!" Kirei thought to himself. Just what exactly had gone wrong! The circle and chant were perfect and he even used a catalyst on top of that. He should have gotten the Old Man of the Mountain logically but instead he ended up servantless. Was he such a failure at being a Magus that he could not even summon forth a servant?

"Impossible," Kirei muttered weakly as he took a step closer to the circle. He had failed miserably.

Or maybe not as a squeaking voice called out "What's impossible?"

Kirei scanned the room frantically, searching for the owner of the voice but saw no one. "I must be imagining things." Till he heard the clearing of a throat and the tugging of his pants.

Instinctively, Kirei looked down. Right smack in the middle of the circle was an infant. The infant was clad in a black robe that was tattered on the ends as well as a tall black hat. His entire body was swathed in bandages such that his arms and legs were obscured from view. His eyes glowed red below the mountain of bandages as he gazed upon Kirei. What was most notable about the servant was the clear pacifier that hung from his neck, a clear indication that his servant was a baby.

"I am servant Assassin. Are you must Master?" Assassin spoke.

"Yes I am." Kirei replied as calmly as he could. Deep inside however, he was suffering a panic attack. Of all the heroes he could have summoned, he brought forth an infant. His Master would have his head for this. The war was already lost before it ever began.

"I see. With this, the contract is complete. "Assassin replied before vanishing and reappearing instantly on Kirei's shoulder. " I barely saw him move!" Kirei thought to himself. As a martial arts expert, he could track the movements of anything easily, and yet Assassin just seemed to teleport to his shoulder right before his eyes.

This brought a small smile to his face. Assassin, like him was more to it than meets the eye.

**Tohsaka manor**

Tokiomi Tohsaka was not very happy at this point in time. When Kirei had contacted him a week ago and announced that he had summoned forth a different servant, he should have known that something was amiss. Instead he simply dismissed it as Kirei's fault for being a weak Magnus. Despite this setback, Kirei had assured Tokiomi that the Assassin he had summoned still had the abilities to carry out their original plan, allowing the said man to heave a sigh of relief and proceed with his own summoning. Little did he expect that he would suffer the same fate as Kirei.

Tokiomi had decided to use the molt of an ancient serpent as a catalyst in an attempt to summon the greatest servant he could think of, the King of Heroes Gilgamesh. With a servant like that, there would be no one to stand in his way of attaining the Holy Grail. Like Kirei, he took double care in drawing out the summoning circle and mentally recited the ritual chant as well. It would'nt hurt to make double precautions. But that was all in vain in the end.

As soon as the Servant appeared, Tokiomi lost his composure and let his jaw dropped. The servant before him was definitely not the King of Heroes. For starters, the servant he had summoned was a girl.

The girl looked like she was no more than sixteen years of age. She wore a regular middle schooler's uniform with a yellow culotte and had brown knee high tights. In addition, her shoes were that of an ancient cowboy's boots. She had curly golden locks as well as green floral hairpin clipped to it. By her side was white percussion musket that was almost as tall as her. What most noticeable was her breasts which seemed very irregularly large for someone of her age.

"I ask of you, are you my Master?" Her voice sounded very mature and her eyes shone with confidence and experience that far surpassed her age.

"Y-Yes," Stammered Tokiomi as he held up his command seals to her. "My name is Tohsaka Tokiomi and I will be your Master for this coming War."

"Very well. I am Servant Archer," she replied before breaking into a smile. "Say Master, do you have any English Tea around? Cause I am very thirsty…"

"The Kitchen is to the right." Directed Tokiomi as he pointed in the said direction. "Thanks a lot!" Archer chirped as she skipped her way down the halls, her calm demeanor and composure all gone.

This has got to be a nightmare, Tokiomi muttered. Perhaps a good night sleep would clear this up. With that Tokiomi headed for his bedroom, refusing to face reality that he had just committed the biggest blunder ever in his life.

That being said, almost all the other Masters shared his sentiments.

**Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel**

Kayneth's anger was like Tokiomi's just that he was a burning oil tanker whereas Tokiomi was a glowing match and he was not afraid to show it. First, his catalyst to summon Alexander the Great had been stolen which caused him much grief and frustration. Secondly, after spending a lot of money albeit grudgingly, he was able to obtain a second catalyst for Diarmuid of the Love Spot. However, the servant he had summoned was definitely not Diarmuid.

The servant he had summoned was slender, yet fairly muscular and had an average height. He had fairly short, messy black hair, pale white skin, a black upper lip, and green eyes with small slit-shaped pupils, similar to a cat's. Part of his bangs fell between his eyes, and he had distinctively thick eyebrows. He also had teal lines which descend from the lower part of his eyes. He was wearing a white hakama with a black sash and a white jacket with a high collar. He had a hole through his sternum as well as a rapier sheathed between the sash. In addition, he had a horn like mask attached to the left side of his head, resembling a broken helmet.

"He's beautiful," Sola-Ui muttered as she felt a small blush creep onto her cheeks. However, despite the melancholic look that the servant was wearing, she swore she could see the sadness in his eyes. "Wonder what's bothering him." Unfortunately she was snapped out of her musings by the enraged voice of Kayneth.

"You, what have you done with Diarmuid!' roared Kayneth as he pointed towards the said servant. Instead of replying him, the servant began to study his surroundings. "Interesting, this architecture suggests that I have returned to the world of the living once more."

"Damn you, I asked you a question! Where the hell is Diarmuid?" Kayneth's patience snapped that instant and he brought out his Mystic Code, Volumen Hydragyrum, and ordered, "SCALP!" The mercury blob then shot towards the servant, fully intent on skewering him.

The servant only narrowed his eyes and with a burst of sound, disappeared from view.

"Where did…" Kayneth was cut off as he felt a blade pressed against his neck. "Try another trick on me again and I will show no mercy," said the servant emotionlessly as he sheathed his rapier, causing Kayneth to crumble to the floor and grasping his neck frantically. "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Sola-Ui instantly scrambled to Kayneth's side and stood protectively in front of him. "Please forgive him. His name is Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi and he is indeed your Master. My name is Sola-Ui and I will be providing you with extra prana during the war." She desperately explained to the servant.

"Very Well, I accept you to be my Master. I am Servant Lancer and I will win the war for you." Lancer replied in a monotonous tone before turning towards the main hall.

"I shall keep watch for the night. Please get some rest my Master."

"Of course, go do your stupid job and protect me." Growled Kayneth, having regained his composure as he turned for the bedrooms.

Sola-Ui stayed behind for a bit longer as she stared at the back of Lancer.

"What had happened to him for him to be this cold?" she thought to herself before turning to follow Kayneth.

Unknown to either party, Lancer let out a small sigh as soon as they were out of sight.

"Seems like I will lose my pride as a hollow once more."

**Matou Household**

Kariya coughed up blood as he studied the two presents his father had just handed to him. Not that they were repulsive but rather it was his body that was currently in the process of dying. The damned worms that were acting as his magical circuits were devouring him bit by bit, leaving him with not more than a month to live.

"I have no time to waste. I will win this war for Sakura's sake."

"Well, are you done studying them you failure of a magus?" boomed a dark voice.

Kariya snarled as he turned to face his father, the head of the Matou house, Zouken Matou.

"What you are holding is a piece of an armor belonging to one of the Knights of the Round Table and the other an enhancement to your servant. With a pathetic being like you as its master, I would not be surprised if it had substandard powers. So those extra lines in the chant will imbue your servant with the Mad Enhancement, making it a Berserker."

Kariya was silent at this point. Of all the servants, Berserker was the most difficult to maintain due to the ridiculous mana required for its abilities. That damn worm, he planned to get rid of him as well as obtain the Grail at the same time. If it weren't for Sakura, he wouldn't even be here. But for her sake he would win the war for him.

"I'll do it" Zouken smiled at his response. God knows just how much he wanted to smite the worm there and then.

Kariya outstretched his hand, ignoring the pulsating pain in his body and the blood erupting from his veins, and began to chant.

"_Silver and Iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg._

_The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in four directions close, coming from the crown, the three forked road that leads to the kingdom circulates._

_Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill). Shut(Fill)._

_Repeat every five times_

_Simply shatter once filled._

_- I announce_

_Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword_

_In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide this feeling, this reason, answer._

_Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead._

_You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance-!_

_Yet thou serve with thine eyes clad with madness. _

_Thou, bound in the cage of madness._ _I am he who commands those chains!_

White light erupted from the circle, scorching the walls of the basement. Kariya and Zouken both had to duck to avoid being incinerated as well.

In a flash, the light died down to reveal another servant.

"Without a doubt, you are a failure Kariya. You could not even summon the right servant." gloated the vampiric worm from the top of the steps.

Kariya threw him a glare that would have killed him instantly before he turned back to face his servant.

The servant had a lean, muscular physique and medium-length gray hair as well as having a slightly pale skin tone. He had an unusual scar on the left side of his face that starts as a pentagram on his forehead, trails down in a line that severs his eyebrow and mars his eyelid, and hooks slightly at his cheekbone and follows his cheek down close to his chin. He wore a white and black cloak that resembled the garb of a priest and had a silver cross insignia of the left side. Besides that, he also had a golden earring on his left ear. Kariya noted that the servant's left arm was red and vein-like but at the back of his palm, there was a green –like cross that glowed in the darkness.

"Hi there, I am the servant Berserker. Are you my master?" Berserker asked in a kind and cheerful tone which caught Kariya by surprise.

"Yes, I am." Replied Kariya before he underwent another coughing spasm. In an instant, Berserker was by his side, gently helping Kariya to his feet and patting his back as he did so.

"Thank you, Berserker." Berserker just smiled warmly as a reply.

"Hmph, a Berserker class without being under the influence of madness? Perhaps I have placed too much hope in a trash like you." Zouken scowled.

As the words left his mouth, Zouken saw a white flash in front of him. Instinctively, he leapt back but not before feeling a sharp pain in his right arm.

"What the hell!" Zouken's right arm now lay on the floor, disintegrating into tiny pieces. The remainder of his arm had a white cross imprinted onto it, killing off all the worms that tried to regenerate. "The worms, they are not regenerating." Zouken panicked, feeling fear for the first time in a few centuries.

As Zouken turned back to face Kariya, his eyes widened in shock. The platform which he had been standing on had been impaled by a metallic looking silver claw that extended from Berserker.

"Insult my Master one more time, I dare you." Berserker warned as his voice lowered.

"Enough Berserker, let's go." Kariya commanded and with that, Berserker escorted Kariya out of the Matou mansion, all the while staring at Zouken.

Berserker had sent Kariya's hopes soaring. Now, he had a higher chance of winning the war.

"Just wait for me Sakura, I will definitely save you from this hell hole!"

**Hiya Guys. This is my first time writing a Fate fic so lots of reviews are appreciated. As for Rider and Caster, they will be summoned in the upcoming chapter. Warning though, updates will be sporadic due to the hustle and bustle of college life. Studies First :) Anyways, have fun guessing the identity of the new servants. The prize would be an imaginary cookie from me. Till then, Ciao!**


	2. Invasion of the Manor

**McKenzie Farm**

Waver Velvet was shaking in excitement. Today was the day he would finally prove his worth as a Magus. Kayneth Archibald could be damned for all he cared.

It was only till last week did him first discover the existence of the Holy Grail War when Waver uncovered his teacher's catalyst, the tattered cape of Alexander the Great. To get back at Kayneth for publicly humiliating him at the Clock Tower, he stole his catalyst and decided to partake in the war himself. The whole of his life, he had been humiliated for coming from a third-rate Magus family but the war would soon change all of that. A war, whereby only strength mattered and not nobility or bloodline.

Finally he would prove to that ass of a teacher that his thesis was right! As long as one understands the spell, even the higher generation families can be surpassed. This war was Waver's big ticket to getting the fame and recognition he deserved.

When he awoke to find the command seals on his hand that morning, Waver was ecstatic. The Holy Grail had finally recognized his strength and deemed him a worthy Master of the War. Screw you students and definitely, screw you Kayneth.

He had used the blood of chickens to draw the circle and instantly began reciting the ritual chant.

"Oh mighty Iskandar, appear before me!" Waver thought fervently.

Smoke billowed out of the circle and a blue light flashed into the sky as the servant appeared.

Waver smiled with glee as he watched the servant appeared but that soon changed into a look of dumbfound. From what he had gathered, Alexander the Great was not Japanese. So why the hell was he dressed like a samurai.

The servant was decked out in a black body suit as well as having a blue high collared, sleeveless cloak worn that was spiked at the ends. He had medium lengthed brown hair and he had a traditional samurai helmet worn with an extra-large golden crescent moon as the insignia of the helmet. On the back of his cloak was a coiled dragon. He had a golden eye whereas the right one was obscured by a black eye patch. What got Waver's attention was that he was carrying six swords, three on each side, sheathed in what looked like dragon wings.

The man had a cocky grin plastered on his face and was glowing in confidence.

"Howdy! I am Rider and I am guessing you are my Master."

"Ye-yes," Waver stammered, still surprised and shocked from the summoning.

"Alright! Now dig the wax out of ears and listen well!" Rider proclaimed as he pointed to Waver. "I have ridden across the lands of feudal Japan for hours on end! I have crushed all those who have stood in my path, friend or foe, enemy or ally! My army has conquered lands as far as the eyes can see! I am the Rider of this war, the One-Eyed Dragon, Date Masamune! Remember that my Master, for you are now part of the Oshu Army. With me at your side, the Grail shall be ours!"

"Huh," stammered Waver in confusion. He did not get anything that his servant had just said.

"That aside, let us depart for the nearest Sake house. It has been a few centuries since I last had a drink and I am in need for quality alcohol." Rider then grabbed Waver by the collar and slung him over his back.

"Wa..Wa..Wait a second! Rider!" Waver yelped out as he hung helplessly on the taller man's back.

What the hell was going on here?

**Elsewhere in the streets of Fuyuki**

Kariya began to breathe raggedly as he limped down the abandoned streets of Fuyuki City. He needed to catch his breath and slowly propped himself against a wall for some R and R.

As he caught a breather, Berserker spoke. "Master, was I too harsh on that old man just now?"

"No, you weren't. You have no idea how much of an ass he was before you came along. Thank you for standing up for me." Kariya weakly wheezed.

"But even so, permanently amputating his arm seemed too much. As his son, don't you feel hurt?" Berserker questioned with anxiety behind his tone.

With that, Kariya removed his hoodie and let Berserker take a good look at him. Berserker let out a small gasp of surprise as he gazed upon the body of Kariya Matou. Half of his body was infested with vein like creatures that seemed to be feeding on him as they spoke.

"Would any father do this to his own son! No caring father would allow flesh-eating creatures to devour his son alive nor would he implicate and deflower a young girl of the age of six by throwing her into a pit of rape-worms!" He roared angrily before another coughing spasm took over.

Berserker immediately supported Kariya, apologizing while at that. "I'm sorry. I didn't think he would be the cause of your pain."

"I should be the one apologizing. You had no idea and yet I took my anger out on you." Kariya bowed his head in shame.

A moment of silence passed between the two before Berserker spoke.

"You know, I could try purifying you right now to get rid of the worm within you. Although I cannot guarantee it will be any less painful than your father's."

Kariya shook his head fervently. "These worms act as my magical circuits. If you destroy them, you can't materialize and have your wish."

"But, Master your body…" Berserker protested only to be dismissed by a wave of Kariya's hand. "I'll be fine, Berserker but do promise me something. When the war is over, please free Sakura-chan." Kariya looked up at Berserker with pleading eyes.

Berserker instantly recalled the purple-haired girl that bade them goodbye. Like Kariya, he could sense that there were those vile things inside of her. Her eyes were empty and filled with sorrow, reminding him of his younger self when he lost Mana.

"I promise, "Berserker replied with hard determination. "Regardless of the war's outcome, I will save her."

Kariya gave a warm smile in which Berserker returned it. No more words needed to be said between them.

**Random House in Fuyuki City**

'Fill, fill, fill, and fill 'er up. Repeat four times…" Uryuu Ryuunosuke muttered to himself as he continued drawing the magical circle that he had seen in his ancestor's books in the middle of the living room.

"Out of blood…" He muttered as he dipped the wet cloth into the now empty bucket. "Never mind, there plenty more here." He chuckled with a glee as he squeezed dry a dismembered hand on the floor.

The book was vague on the subject but it mentioned something about summoning a demon, or something along those lines. That alone sent him into ecstasy. It was fun killing people and all but it was totally worth it to let a demon return to life and do the killing for him. How cool was that.

"Was it four or five?" Uryuu counted his fingers as he re-read the lines on the book. "Fill, fill, fill, fill, and fill. Yes it was five! Lucky me!' Uryuu fist-pumped the air.

In the background, a news report was being played on the television.

"_In today's news, there have been a slew of murders that have been occurring in Fuyuki City. Families have been slain in their homes. In every one of the houses of the victims, there is a strange symbol being drawn with the victim's blood. Police are now investigating as to how the symbol and the murders are all related. We now have an expert on crime psychology to speak to us…"_

"Did you hear that? I'm on the news! I am famous baby! Look at all my beautiful artworks!" Uryuu exclaimed as he spoke to the couple lying on the sofa. Only thing was that they were dead, their heads now lying in their laps when Uryuu decapitated them from the back.

"Oops my bad! No heads, no eyes."

With that he turned back to the kid in the corner of the living room. The boy was hogtied and gagged from where Uryuu last left him. He had slaughtered the boy's parents in front of him and the boy was scared shitless. His expression was priceless in Uryuu's opinion. The sadness, the fear, how beautiful it was.

"Do you believe demons exist kiddo?" Uryuu asked the squirming kid, already liking the kid's expression. "I know the news calls me a demon and such but don't you think that's a little rude if demons exist. Don't you think so?"

Uryuu then walked up to the kid's face, the kid sweating profusely and eyes widening with each step. "Sup!" he said, surprising the kid. "My name's Uryuu Ryuunosuke and I am a demon."

"See these," Uryuu waved his ancestor's books in front of the kid. "They say that if I follow the instructions here, I can summon a demon. How cool is that! Demons do exist!" At this point, the kid was crying and yelling like a madman if not for his gagged mouth. "So if a demon does come out," he patted the boys head "do you mind letting it kill you?"

"MMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPHHHHHH!" The kid began thrashing about in a desperate attempt to escape.

"Hahaha!" Uryuu began to bounce about ecstatically. "I wonder how a demon looks like! Better yet, how does it feel to be killed by a demon! I bet its so co-ow!' Uryuu looked down to his hand as he felt it burn. Three crimson red command seals then appeared at the back of his palm.

"What the…" Uryuu drawled but before he could finish, the circle began to glow and billow smoke.

But as the smoke died down, nothing appeared. "Aww man! I failed again! " Uryuu pouted with a disappointed look on his face. Little did he realize that all the shadows in the room were now congregated on the ceiling.

"A human summoned me? How pathetic. Who are you?" An ominous voice echoed from the ceiling and Uryuu turned to look up.

On the ceiling was a black blob that extended from the shadows. It had multiple crimson eyes as wells as serrated rows of teeth all over it.

"So cool!" thought Uryuu as he gazed up in amazement. "Umm, hi there!" Uryuu began as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm Uryuu Ryuunosuke. I'm currently unemployed and I like killing people very much. Especially women and children."

"Oh, a murderous master? Interesting, I think we will get along very fine. I am servant Caster and our contract is now complete." The shadow grinned.

"Okay…"Uryuu drawled, not understanding Caster's words or what he meant. "Hey, want a little snack?" Uryuu smiled as he pointed to the kid who was desperately shaking his head.

"Itadakimasu." Said the shadow before it lunged for the kid. It pierced the kid's stomach and the slid into him. The kid then underwent about of spasms and the shadows tore through every living fibre of him. His organs were hurled out of his body as his body began to erupt into a messy pile of blood, spraying all over the walls. Then a moment of calm, before the kid's appendages all exploded simultaneously, his arms, legs and head all over the place. After which, millions of black arms emerged from his torso and began to pull and reattach the separated body parts. After reattachment, red lightning coursed across the dead kid's body and healed all his wounds. The "kid" then sat up and examined himself.

"A little more spacious than my previous container I guess." Caster remarked as he got used to the corpse that he had just taken over as his new body.

"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Uryuu exclaimed in joy as he jumped towards Caster. Shaking Caster's hand, he remarked "You are the most awesome dude I have ever seen! I don't care I will follow you forever, Mr…"

"Selim, just call me Selim. Help me win the Grail War and I will impress you even further" Caster replied with a smirk.

"Fine, whatever that its. Let's go Mr Selim. Show me more cool ways to kill!" Uryuu exclaimed as he headed for the door.

"Another gullible pawn for me. A good way to start the Grail War." Thought Caster as he subconsciously licked his lips and followed a hyperactive Uryuu out of the crime scene.

**Fuyuki Church**

"The final servant has been summoned," Risei told Kirei who nodded in confirmation as he sensed the appearance of Caster.

"Assassin," Kirei told the said figure who was currently stacking a pile of cards, "It is time." Over the past week, Kirei had come to realize that despite Assassin's size and appearance, his knowledge and experience far surpassed his. He had revealed that he was part of the underground trans-dimensional police force of a Mafia society in his world. This piqued Kirei's curiosity as who in the right mind would choose a baby for this kind of dirty work. Assassin's sensing Kirei's thoughts, sent out an immense wave of killing intent, warning Kirei to avoid the subject or there would be hell to pay. With that, Kirei dropped the subject and let their conversation end there, although the thought still lingered around in his mind.

"Fine, time to get to work." Squeaked the baby as he dumped the cards aside and vanished. Within a few seconds, Assassin had warped to the edge of the forest that overlooked the Tohsaka Manor. According to the plan that Kirei had shared with him, he was to infiltrate the Manor, deactivate the defenses and kill Tohsaka Tokiomi. It was simple and straight-forward and Assassin did not like it one bit at all. After years of serving with the Vindice, he had learnt that each plan had a secondary meaning to it. Trusting Kirei word for word was akin to putting a pistol in his mouth. Rule number one, trust no-one. For now he would just follow Kirei's schemes, but when it came down to it, he would act on his own.

Assassin then warped a few meters into the air above the manor. Right below him were three pedestals with rubies on it, indicating the defense system. "Perfect," Assassin thought as he fired three chains that were coiled around his wrist. As the chains approached the rubies, they began to grow in size, big enough to crush each ruby with a soft crunch.

Assassin then warped to the front of a giant ruby located in the center of the garden. Judging from the soft whirling sounds, there was an invisible barrier protecting it unlike the rest. Once again, Assassin fired his chains at the barrier, watching intently as they bounced off one by one, revealing the three rings which revolved around the ruby.

"Piece of cake, I don't even have to warp." Assassin then just simply walked forward towards the barrier. Judging from the way that they revolved, Tokiomi was apparently expecting a regular sized servant. Too bad that he didn't calculate the odds of the servant being an infant. Assassin just strolled forward towards the ruby and within seconds stood before it. "Now come to papa."

That was when a single shot rang out into the night. Assassin' didn't feel any pain, just annoyance. The shot had torn threw his hat and embedded harmlessly onto the ground behind him. It was his favorite hat too.

"I won't miss the next shot. Go back home you little baby." A female voice rang out. Assassin glanced up and saw curly-haired blond dressed in a school uniform holding a smoking musket. Figures he shouldn't have trusted Kirei.

"Who are you calling a baby, woman?" Assassin growled, anger rising in his voice. "I dunno, how many servants are less than half a meter tall and wearing a pacifier? Oh, just you." Archer replied with a smug look on her face. "I won't repeat myself, go home baby or you will suffer."

"Don't worry about repeating yourself because I'm going to kill you!" Assassin declared as he shot his chains forth at Archer. Archer responded by summoning forth another musket and with a single shot, deflected all the chains, sending them all spiraling back at Assassin. "Tsk," Assassin nimbly sidestepped to avoid his own weapons before he warped. Archer's eyes widened as she watched the servant disappear before her eyes.

"Where did he go?" Archer soon felt as though someone threw a rock at her back. Turning around, she saw no-one. Again, another rock to her arm. She swung around, only to see nobody. Then all, at once she felt rocks being hurled at her simultaneously, hitting every inch of her body. While it was not very painful, she was slowly receiving minor cuts and bruises. To top that, her patience was wearing thin. She hated it when she couldn't shoot her target.

In the dimensional portals, Assassin began to smirk. Although his punches were weak, it was obvious that he was starting to wear Archer down. Time for the kill.

Archer was still contemplating where Assassin was going to appear when an idea appeared as she saw the shattered fragments of the rubies. "_Arms Change_" she muttered and summoned forth eight muskets, all pointing in a different direction. This time however, all the muskets had streaks of red in them. "Come, you sneaky bastard."

Assassin warped just right above her head, before firing off his chains and declaring "Die, you bitch!". Archer just smirked as all her muskets fired at the same time. This time, shotgun shells were released. "What!" Assassin thought just before the shells plummeted him. "Damn you! How did you know where I was?"

"I didn't," Replied Archer honestly. "You were moving too fast for me to see so I just had to cover as many areas as possible." She then aimed her muskets all at Assassin. "Now, Vamos."

Assassin tumbled and ducked as the shells sprayed all around him. He made a U-turn and shot his chains forth, only for Archer to whack them aside with the butt of her musket. Assassin then warped again and before Archer could summon another musket, he charged for her ass. "You're mine now!" Only to stare down a shiny silver barrel. Assassin barely had enough time to bend backwards before the musket fired, the bullet zinging inches away from his head. As he did that, Archer swept the butt of another musket on to his side, sending him spiraling a few meters away. For the second time that night, Assassin was surprised.

This time, Archer was not smiling anymore. Her face was now red with rage and embarrassment. "How dare you stare up my skirt you pervert!" she hollered at Assassin as she summoned forth another musket that had streaks of yellow. "Die you ero-baby!" This time round a cannon shell came out.

"Fuck," thought Assassin. This was going to be a long night.

**Tohsaka Manor, Study Room**

Tokiomi watched in horror as he watched his garden blow up although his facial expressions refused to show it. This was not in the plan. Assassin was supposed to be "killed" by Archer, not duking it out with her. At this rate, his house would be destroyed as well. He hastened his pace towards the telephone in the hallway only to watch the hall get blown up by another cannon shell. "Screw this," he thought as he pulled out his cellphone. He really hoped that he had remembered to buy insurance for this place.

**Tohsaka Manor, Garden**

Assassin was getting really steamed. He had come, full intent on killing Tokiomi and Archer and yet at this rate he was going to die instead. He had almost died 30 times that night, no thanks to Archer's long ranged explosives. Archer was still relentlessly dishing out cannon shells and it did not seem like she would stop anytime soon. "Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn indeed." Assassin thought as he dodged another explosion and threw another cannon shell back at Archer. This battle was dragging out too long. He was going to strike at full strength.__"_Present Ple_…"

"_By my command seal, I, Kotomine Kirei, order you to cease all attacks on Archer immediately." _Assassin halted in his tracks just as he was about to release his Noble Phantasm. "Damn you Kirei, guess you are as obedient as the rumors go. Screw the plan." Assassin grumbled as he turned to leave, only that Archer wouldn't let him.

"_Binding Ribbon!_" Archer cried out and from the holes in the ground, ribbons emerged and wrapped around Assassin. "Shit," Assassin snarled as he struggled to break free but Archer was onto him in a second. "Die you pervert." Archer said coldly before Assassin found himself stared down by the barrels of ten muskets.

An explosion of dirt and smoke swept through the entire garden, scaring away the familiars of all the Masters that had been watching the battle. The dust cleared, revealing only Archer with a scowl on her face. Although the other Masters would receive reports on Assassin's death, she knew very well that he was not dead despite being hit at close range.

"Damn that pervert-baby!" Archer hissed being returning to the mansion.

**Fuyuki Church**

Kotomine Risei watched as Assassin re-materialized in the church grounds. His cloak was tattered and there was a slight trickle of blood down his face and from his mouth. The bandages around his face had been burnt off by the heat of Archer's weapons, revealing a white and slightly burnt face. In his teeth, to Risei's wonder, were ten shells, caught at the last moment Archer unloaded them into his face. He spat them onto the ground, releasing a roar that Risei shuddered from.

"DAMN YOU ARCHER! DAMN YOU KOTOMINE KIREI!"

**Hi all, I managed to have some spare time so here's the second update. Many thanks for the awesome reviews that you guys gave. Love you guys! For the identity of the servants competition, the cookies goes to "**_**drumrolls"**_**, mr I hate znt nobles kill em! "**_**roars of applause and trumpet sounds**_**" Congratulations to you. Have fun guessing the identities of the last servant (Rider announced his). Without further a due , here are the stats of Assassin**

**Class: Assassin**

**Spirit: Bermuda von Veckenschtein (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)**

**Armaments: Chains**

**Alignment: Neutral/ Evil**

**Strength: D**

**Endurance: A**

**Agility: E**

**Mana: B**

**Luck: C**

**Presence Concealment: A+**

**It is possible for Assassin to disappear completely and become almost impossible to be detected. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken.**

**Magic Resistance: B**

**Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for him to be affected.**

**Assassin's long period of wondering and burning in the underworld have made him resistant to most spells and curses as a result of his body being used to them.**

**Prana Burst (Flames): B+ **

**A version of Prana Burst that infuses weapons with prana that imparts a flame effect.**

**Assassin is able to coat himself in with the Flame of the Night, inflicting minor burns to enemies when he attacks. Prolonged exposure to the flames can cause heavier burns to occur to enemies.**

**Noble Phantasms**

**Present Please: C **** Anti Unit (self) type**

**Assassin reverts back to his normal form instead of his Arcobaleno state. All his stats are raised to B+ when done so. However, this form can only be used for 3 minutes only.**

**Flame of the Night: B **** Anti Unit (self) type**

**Assassin coats himself with a thick and heavy flame that burns black. Flame is centralized around the limbs as well as the chest. When used, Assassin's stats and Noble Phantasms are all boosted one rank up.**

**Chains of the Vindice: B**** Anti Unit type**

**Assassin binds and restricts his opponents with chains that are clad in black flames. As long as the target is bound by the chains, Assassin can feed off the target's Mana supply instead of his own.**

**Void warp: C**

**Assassin is able to instantaneously teleport himself anywhere he wants for a short distance.**

**Void Warp, Light Speed: A**** Anti Unit type**

**Assassin's ultimate Noble Phantasm. By moving through multiple portals made from the Flame of Night, Assassin can propel himself quickly enough to reach the speed of light. Requires activation of Flame of the Night to use.**


	3. The war begins

**Inside the Tohsaka Manor**

"Archer, I thought my instructions were to fake Assassin's death. So why did you have to destroy the garden and the house while you were at it?" Tokiomi asked Archer with a slight frown on his face. As though fate was messing with him, he had indeed forgotten to buy insurance for his house. This was definitely going to burn a hole in his pocket. Archer just stood there fiddling her thumbs and stared at the floor, not knowing how to answer. Well she did go overboard, but what did you expect from someone who had spent a lifetime in the grail. She finally had some company, too bad he rubbed up her the wrong way.

"Is something the matter," Tokiomi asked as he noticed Archer deep in thought. "No nothing at all," she replied with small smile as she snapped out of her thoughts. "Sorry bout the house though, guesses I went overboard." She stuck out her tongue and bonked herself on her head.

Tokiomi almost laughed at that. She reminded him of Rin in so many ways, be it how they screw up or their similar reaction whenever they did something wrong.

"Master," Archer asked quietly, "Don't you feel lonely here, living alone in the Manor."

"I do Archer. " Tokiomi replied with a small sigh. "This house used to be filled with laughter when my wife and daughters were still around. Now because of the war, they have to be away for a while, so all I have for company is you Archer. Then again, a Magus' path is one to be walked alone. For a magus, there are no such things as friends and family is only placed at second priority. I guess being lonely is the price to pay for true knowledge."

"I see," Archer replied. It seems like she was not the only one who was lonely. Like her Master, Archer knew all too well how it was like to be without any friends or surrounded by her family. Having loss her family at a young age, Archer grew up a recluse, having fought most of her battle alone. It was not only till very much later did she make her friends, a pink-haired girl as well a bluenette. Too bad that she had to die before she could really get to know them better.

"Archer, thanks for caring." Tokiomi thanked the said servant, his back turned to her. Archer just simply nodded in response before she decided to retire for the night. A single thought crossed both their minds then: it's good to have some company around you.

**Elsewhere in Fuyuki Church**

Kirei stood before the doors of Fuyuki Church, waiting for his father to open them. As Risei opened them, Kirei recited the pledge that he had memorized just that afternoon. "My servant has been lost. Have forfeited my rights as a Master and cannot continue the Holy Grail War. In accordance with the treaty, I, Kotomine Kirei, ask the church to shelter and protect me."

'Your request is accepted. In my role as a judge, I, Risei Kotomine shall guarantee your safety." Risei motioned for Kirei to enter albeit a bit wearily. As Kirei entered the church, he asked Risei, "Father, is there anyone watching the church?"

"Of course not. The church is a neutral ground for this war and the sanctuary for all Masters' that have lost their servants. Also…" Risei's voice trailed off, "Your servant has also taken refuge here. He was less than pleased when he arrived and is not in a very good mood as of now."

As soon as Risei finished, a bench was hurled in their direction. Instinctively, Kirei activated his Black Keys and sliced the impeding object into two. As calm as he could, he spoke in the general direction that the bench was hurled from, 'What are you doing Assassin?"

As if on cue, Assassin materialized from the portal. His wounds were all healed and his hat had been replaced but his anger was far from simmered.

"Why did you stop me from killing Archer, Kirei?" Assassin demanded. "It was not in the plan Assassin. You were supposed to fake your death and retreat, not engage her." Kirei replied calmly.

"Huh! You are just a loyal dog aren't you Kirei? What's wrong with eliminating the competition?"

"The only wrong thing is that you have disobeyed my orders Assassin. Don't make me have to use another command seal just to force you to comply with them." Kirei held his hand out as though issuing a threat. The command seals then began to glow red.

"Damn this," Assassin muttered under his breath. "Just why the hell did you enter this war Kirei? Don't tell me it was because you wanted to thank that Tohsaka dog."

"Of course…" Kirei began before assassin cut him off.

"Don't lie to me. Of all the students Tohsaka had, the Grail chose you out of all of them. Why is that?" Assassin pointed at Kirei, demanding an answer.

Kirei was silent. He had no idea what Assassin meant. What did he want?

Under his bandages, Assassin smirked. He got up from the floor and turned for the basement.

"We will continue this discussion another time when you have realized your desire Kirei. I sense the real battle about to start and I must make preparations."

"Before he left, Assassin's eyes began to glow and he released a huge amount of killing intent. "This next battle I will not keep watch. I will participate in it and if you do try to stop me, Master or Not, I will break you." With that, Assassin walked away.

Kirei looked at where assassin was standing moments ago, still deep in thought regarding the servant's question. "Why do I seek the Grail? Is it because of the void in my heart? Is that why I was chosen, my desire to fill it?" He shook his head. Time for reflection would come later; the real battle was going to begin soon.

**McKenzie Residence**

"Yes!" Waver cheered and did a mini-victory dance before composing himself. He and Rider had returned to the McKenzie household not too long ago after Rider had dragged him across at least 10 sake shops. Man, that servant knew how to drink. If not for his thirst being quenched, Waver's allowance would have surely been bled dry. Rider was currently sprawled out on his bed, snoring loudly as he lay in deep slumber. Waver was also about to join him when his rat familiar returned with reports on Assassin's death.

"Rider, didn't you hear me? Assassin's dead!" Waver shook the sleeping Rider ecstatically who only stifled a yawn in response. "Who again?" Rider rubbed his sleepy eye as he looked at Waver.

"It's Assassin. Aren't you excited about it?" Rider only yawned before falling back into the soft embrace of the bed. "Big deal. Assassin is just a sneaky bastard who doesn't have the power to fight anyone head on. His death changes nothing because he isn't a major threat in the war anyway. Just a typical backstabber. If he wasn't done in now, someone would do it sooner or later." Waver realized that Rider's words held a certain amount of sense in them. After all, Assassin was more suited in killing Masters according to his stats. Against servants like Rider, he wouldn't stand a chance, right?

Rider's next questions stunned Waver. "How was Assassin killed and how did the battle take place?" Rider inquired, seriousness in his tone.

"Uh-uh, I'm guessing it was Tohsaka's servant. She was wearing a school uniform and had muskets as her weapons. As for the battle, it did not end that easily. Assassin put up quite a fight against Archer. It seemed that he could move very quickly but all of a sudden he stopped dead in tracks, allowing Archer to kill him."

"Tsk, you fool." Rider reached out and slammed the hilt of his sword onto Waver's head. "Owowow! What was that for?" Waver demanded as he caressed the swollen bump on his head.

"You were too quick to judge. Given the details you have told me, Assassin should still be alive. It is possible that he used his speed to get away at the last second." Rider laid out his thoughts before breaking into a grin. "Still, I can take him on no problem! A fool like that wouldn't even match the speed of Sanada's spears!"

"Huh?" Waver had a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Are you ready! Put your gunz out cause we ride!" Rider brought his fingers to his mouth and was about to make a low whistle when Waver instantly grabbed him. "Not in here you moron, you'll destroy the house!"

Why did this have to happen to him?

**Hotel Room**

Kayneth had a smug expression as he woke up the following morning. His familiar had just reported to him that Assassin was killed in combat. A day into the war and he had already gained an advantage and was one step closer towards the Grail.

"Good morning Master," Lancer gave a slight bow as he watched Kayneth exit the bedroom. Kayneth paid him no notice and continued to join Sola-Ui for breakfast. Lancer just watched him silently, his emotionless face carved firmly in place.

"Lancer, would you like to join us?" Sola-Ui asked the said servant who just stood in the corner. "Ignore him. He is just a tool that does not need to eat or sleep. His sole purpose is to protect me and win the war." Kayneth growled from behind his newspaper. He was still pissed at the servant for brazenly attacking him two nights ago. How dare him, a mere tool.

"Kayneth!" Sola-Ui hissed at him. "Servant or not, he is a normal person and I expect you to treat him as such." "Hmph!" Kayneth continued to read his paper, ignoring his fiancée's words. Sola-Ui shot him a glare before turning to Lancer. The servant just stood there, closing his eyes to acknowledge her offer.

"I will remain here. As my Master has mentioned, I am in no need of food or rest."

"Good, obey me like the tool you are." Kayneth scowled.

"As you command Master."

Sol-Ui was quite stunned at this. He was just insulted and yet he still treated Kayneth with respect. If there was anything she needed to learn from the servant, was how the hell he managed to put up with Kayneth's arrogance.

Till now, Lancer had yet to reveal any of his abilities but according to what Sola-Ui witnessed that night, he was not one to be trifled with. If only he could be more open with others. Then again, he probably would if Kayneth ordered him to do so but the man viewed him as being a simple instrument of the war, declining to make any attempt to communicate with him.

Waver Velvet was not wrong in calling him a bigot, Sola-Ui thought to herself.

"Lancer, I presume you know what to do tonight." Kayneth spoke without turning to face the servant.

"Yes Master. I will issue a challenge to all the servants tonight at the docks as you commanded." Lancer emotionlessly explained.

"Good." Kayneth smiled to himself. Tonight was the best time to identify the other servants and if possible, kill them and their Masters. Though, he wasn't going to do the dirty work himself. Lancer would do it in his stead. He would take shelter some distance away and let the battle unfold. After all, that was what tools were for, to do the work for you.

**Later that night (Docks)**

"Do it," Kayneth ordered as he watched from atop one of the multiple cranes hanging around the docks. From there, he had a bird's eye view of the entire place. A vantage point to examine the battle as well as his servant's abilities.

"Yes my Master," Lancer drew his sword and held it in a reverse grip. He then plunged the sword into the ground and as he did, a ripple of green light flashed before slowly expanding. Very soon, it reached every corner of Fuyuki City. As it did, Lancer felt six other contacts picking it up. "The bait has been set," thought Lancer to himself, "Time to see who would bite it first."

**Underground sewers**

Caster opened his eyes slowly from his meditation. He had felt the challenge issued by one of the servants and judging from the mana readings he was getting, this one was no push over. Over the last two days, Uryuu had begged him time and again to demonstrate his "coolness". Eventually Caster gave in, killing and devouring close to twenty humans for his viewing pleasure. The mere bugs were nothing more than an appetizer. Their souls tasted like shit and barely provided him with the mana he required. At this rate, he was going to have a belly-ache due to their mediocre quality.

"Finally, a decent meal." Caster licked his lips as he got up from his seat. All around him were splashes of blood and bones, courtesy of him and Uryuu. The latter was at the far end of the sewers, probably dissecting another hapless kid judging from the joyous laughter mixed with wild thrashing noises.

"Master, I'm going out for a walk. If you require any assistance, use the red tattoos on your hand to call for me." Caster called out to the murderer.

"Don't worry though I wish that you could help me with my latest art. I'm going to call it, The Blooming Flower of Red and White!" Uryuu laughed heartily from the other end. "Oh ya, if you can bring me back a souvenir will you?"

Caster smiled at that. "Of course, it will be the best souvenir yet." With that, a mass of shadows congregated at Caster's feet before the said servant sank into them, vanishing completely.

**Elsewhere (few blocks away from the docks)**

"Master, did you feel that?" Berserker glanced at Kariya who nodded, indicating that he felt the challenge as well.

Kariya was silent. He did not want to lose the element of surprise to Tokiomi but he had to confirm the identity of the servant first.

"Berserker, let's go closer to the docks first. If the servant issuing the challenge is Archer, you have my full permission to take her out. Otherwise, wait and watch while the situation develops."

Berserker swallowed hard. He did not like to fight, let alone kill anyone but this time was different. He had made a promise, a promise to the man who was fighting not for his own but for the benefit of others.

"Understood, let's go." Berserker then assisted Kariya in moving faster towards the docks.

**Back at the docks**

Saber and Irisviel arrived at the docks having received the challenge from Lancer. Judging from the location, the servant was clever. At least this place would be away from prying eyes.

Sensing something, Saber halted in her tracks and scanned the surroundings. She motioned for Irisviel to stand back before she called out loudly to the empty docks. "I know you are here Servant. Cease hiding like a coward and face me in battle!"

There was no answer except the blowing of the wind. Suddenly, Saber's eyes widened as she realized something was amiss. "Irisviel, duck!"

As soon as she called out, Saber felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. She had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from yelling out but a small grunt did escape her. Her shoulder was now badly burnt and smoke was seen blowing out from the wound.

"Saber!" Irisviel immediately began working her healing magic and in an instant, Saber's left shoulder was as good as new. Saber nodded in thanks before issuing the challenge once more. "I know you are there. Show yourself you coward!"

Saber heard the crunch of footsteps from her left and immediately swung in that direction. From behind one of the crates emerged the other servant. He was dressed in a white hakama and had broken helmet worn on his head. His right hand was crackling with red energy, indicating he was the one who fired the shot.

"What class are you? My pride as a knight demands that you reveal your identity before we begin." Saber pointed her blade at the emotionless servant who merely gazed upon her.

"There is no need for you to know. You will be dead soon anyway." Lancer narrowed his eyes.

Saber smiled grimly. "Sorry, however…" Saber's clothes disappeared and were replaced with her battle dress and armor. "I am not going to be as easy to kill as you think." She widened her stance and readied Excalibur, still hidden behind the Invisible Wind. Lancer said nothing, merely drawing his sword

Both servants stood there unmoving and then without warning, both lunged at each other at full force.

The first real battle of the Fourth Holy Grail war had officially begun.

**And another chapter done up. Sorry about this one being slightly shorter than the rest. I wanted to leave the fight scene for the next chapter. In any case, here's a warning. The next chapter will only be up in two weeks' time. Exams are upcoming next week, though I might be able to squeeze a bit of time out to update. Till then, toodles and here's the stats for Lancer**

**Class: Lancer**

**Spirit: Ulquiorra Schiffer( Bleach)**

**Armaments: Rapier**

**Alignment: Lawful/ Neutral**

**Strength: B**

**Endurance: A**

**Agility: B**

**Mana: D**

**Luck: C**

**Battle Continuation: A**

**Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.**

**Lancer is able to heal most injuries in a matter of seconds due to his advanced regeneration abilities. However, he is unable to recreate any organs or heal them.**

**Magic Resistance: A**

**Cancel spells of A-Rank or below. In practice, the Servant is untouchable to modern magi, so it would not be an exaggeration to title the Servant a "Magus Killer".**

**Lancer's hierro can deflect the most powerful of spells casted by any Magus, making it impossible to kill him. Only servants can physically hurt Lancer.**

**Eye of the mind (False): B**

**Calm analysis of battle conditions, by which competent grasp of the status of the self and the opponent are obtainable even in the midst of danger; utilization of such to deduce the appropriate course of action that permits escape from a lethal predicament.**

**Lancer can predict and pre-empt his opponents moves as long as they are within the range of his pesquisa, enabling last minute dodges and counterattacks. Accuracy rate decrease if attacks are long-ranged. **

**Surgical Procedure: E**

**Capability of surgical repair with use of a bloodstained scalpel, applicable to the Servant or her Master.**

**Lancer can transplant parts of his body or cells onto other to speed up their recovery rate but he is unable to regenerate back that part of himself again.**

**Noble Phantasms**

**Sonido: C**

**In an immense burst of speed, Lancer can transport himself over short or long distances easily.**

**Hierro:A**

**Servants of strength A rank or below cannot hurt Lancer physically. **

**Cero : B~A+ Anti-Fortress type**

**Lancer fires a large energy beam from his fingers. Requires a charge time of 3 seconds. When mixed with blood, Gran Rey Cero can be used and destructive abilities are raised to rank A+.**

**Bala: C**

**Lancer fires a condensed energy bolt by just flicking his wrist. Travels at 20 times the speed of cero but its damage is greatly reduced, Can be fired off in rapid succession.**

**Pesuiqa: C**

**Lancer has an imaginary barrier erected around him of 3 metres in diameter. Lancer is able to detect and intercept almost any attack that enters within this range.**

**Resurrection: Murciélago: A+**

**Lancer releases his sword and takes on his true form of a bat-like demon. In this form, stat for agility and strength are temporarily raised to A. Lancer is capable of flight in this form. Due to large amount of strain and mana drain on the Master, Lancer is only able to maintain his form for a maximum of 20 minutes. By increasing the mana consumption required for the release, Lancer can immediately activate his secondary release, Segundo Etapa, in which his ultimate phantasm can be used.**

**Lanza de Relampago : EX Anti – Fortress type**

**Lancer's Ultimate Noble Phantasm. Lancer creates a thin green lance that is made purely of mana. Lancer can choose to use it as a weapon for melee combat or for ranged attacks. When hurled and upon impact, the lance would cause a huge explosion similar to that of a nuclear strike, capable of reshaping terrains with ease. Capable of matching Noble Phantasms such as Excalibur. However, due to the instable energies within the lance, Lancer has slight difficulty controlling its trajectory. Once used, Lancer would revert instantaneously back to his original form. Can only be used once every three days.**


	4. Battle of the docks Part 1

**Docks**

Saber's blade clashed against Lancer's katana, both pushing hard against each other to gain the upper hand. They parted for a few seconds before clashing once more; causing sparks to fly from their grinding blades.

Saber was honestly surprised. Judging from Lancer's build, she did not expect the servant to have that much strength. He was only using one hand to guard against her whereas she was already at full strength. Lancer had barely broken a sweat, calmly observing Saber's movement throughout their exchange of blows. Saber followed up with a diagonal slash but Lancer seemed to have anticipated that, bringing his katana to bear, successfully parrying her blow. Saber grunted in frustration.

"Is that all you got? A pity." remarked Lancer as he allowed himself to fall backwards. Saber lost her balance and felt her sword slice through the thin air. Below her, Lancer pointed his index finger at the center of her armor, a green orb charging at the tip. Saber's eyes widened as she felt the mana build up and condense at that single point. In a desperate attempt to block it, Saber hurriedly shifted her blade to the front of her chest before Lancer uttered a single word.

"_Cero_" The energy orb fired, slamming straight into Excalibur and sending Saber flying. Saber grunted as she felt the heat and pain bearing into her despite successfully blocking the attack. Her armor was charred in places where the beam had dispersed, scarring the polished surface.

Saber did a backflip and landed onto one of the crates. It was less than five minutes into the battle and she was already pushed back. She had severely underestimated this servant.

Then, all of a sudden, Lancer sheathed his sword. Saber stared at him in surprised and demanded, "Our fight is far from over. I'm not beaten just yet!"

"I know," Lancer replied coolly "It's just that I have deemed you less of a threat than I anticipated. I have no need for my sword; my fists will do just fine for a girl like you. You simply are not worth dying by my blade."

Saber's eyes widened with rage. He was mocking her.

"Huuuarrrgh!" Saber leapt of the crate and swung her blade vertically at Lancer. Lancer dodged nimbly before swinging a round-house punch at Saber. Saber parried with her blade once more but her hands trembled slightly as she felt the vibrations course through her. "What power!" she thought to herself.

Lancer cocked back his other hand and slammed it straight into her gut, causing Saber to cough out blood. She leapt back; applying Prana burst to her feet and surged towards Lancer once more. Lancer's eyes widened for a second before he moved aside at the last second to prevent himself from being impaled. Saber noticed this and did a barrel roll, spinning her blade dangerously close to Lancer's face. The latter raised both his arms and guarded against the strike though it did send him flying into mid-air.

"You're mine!" Saber chased after him, swinging in her blade from the left. At this range, she thought, he won't have any time to block. She was right about the blocking but she failed to take into consideration an offensive strike. Lancer's left wrist crackled with red energy and in a swift motion he flicked it at Saber. "_Bala" _

Saber's eyes widened with shock as she recognized the attack. It hit her point blank in the face, crushing her nose bridge and burning her face. "Arrrgh!" she screamed as she hit the ground hard. Lancer did not let up and cocked his right arm back fingers outstretched, intent on impaling Saber when he landed. Saber's eyes opened just as Lancer's fingers were inches from her face. She rolled to aside, the fingers just barely scratching her face and drawing blood. "She's fast to recover." Lancer thought just as his hand impaled the ground where her head was seconds ago.

Saber rushed at Lancer again, swinging a wide arc with her sword only to realize that he had disappeared. "Where did he go?" She then saw a shadow cast over her. Lancer was standing on top of her blade!

"Impossible. Has he already figured out Excalibur's length?" Saber's thought were broken as she watched Lancer run down her blade and delivered a roundhouse kick to her head. Saber was sent spiraling into the cargo crates, causing all of them to collapse onto her. "You're finished." Lancer declared coldly as he moved in, hand cocked back to impale her. But this time Saber was ready. Having timed the duration of Lancer's previous strike, she knew exactly when it was going to hit. As soon as Lancer's fist neared, Saber bent down at the last second. Lancer's hand blew a hole in the crates whereas Saber slashed her blade upwards towards Lancer. "You're mine now!" Saber brought her blade up with as much strength as she could, slashing across Lancer's torso and chest.

Lancer's eyes widened as he felt her blade hit him. He had not been expecting this. Lancer was knocked a few feet back, clutching his torso and chest. Saber let a small smile creep onto her face. She had finally managed to hit him. Judging from where she had cut him, he would be immobilized at the least. There was a heavy price to pay though for that hit. Her chest armor was badly dented due to the force that Lancer's beam attack had delivered upon pressing against Excalibur. Her face was covered in burn marks and her left wrist was broken. "At least I got him."

However that was all for not. As Lancer got back up, Saber's eyes widened in fear and shock. "That's impossible." Lancer's body was not harmed at all save for his shredded hakama. Lancer simply brushed his chest where the sword had struck earlier before ripping off his shredded hakama. That was when Saber noticed something. There was a hole located at his sternum. By all logical sense, he should be dead with a wound like that.

"You," Saber narrowed her eyes "You're not human are you?"

Lancer just gazed at her, deep in thought. It was the first time someone had managed to avoid his strike at such close range. Even Kurosaki Ichigo could not dodge it.

"I take my words back, Saber." Lancer said emotionlessly. "It seems you are worth killing after all. I am of the Lancer class. Remember this for I will let you witness true despair." Lancer drew his blade once more; this time however he began to release a huge amount of killing intent.

"Don't blink, if not I will strike you down in a blink of an eye. It's about time I got serious." Waves of dark green energy began to emit from Lancer, each wave stronger than the previous. Lancer was going to go all out in this next fight. At this point, Saber was stunned and she felt a shiver down her spine . She was already having a hard time facing him and that was when he wasn't serious.

Just what kind of a monster was he?

**Fuyuki Bridge**

"Rider…." Waver began to whine as he felt tears already streaming out of his eyes. "Get me down from here, please." A few moments ago, Rider had picked up another servant's challenge from the docks. Although Waver agreed to find the servant, that did not explain why he was on top of Fuyuki Bridge. A slight misstep and he would fall to his death.

Rider took a swig from his sake bottle. "My master, we have the best view of the battle from here. Don't you find it safer to observe from a distance instead of being at the frontlines?"

Waver mentally noted the logic in Rider's words. Although he won't have to worry about being caught in the crossfire between the two servants already there, it won't make a damn difference if he fell to his death first.

"Rider, can't we watch from somewhere lower please!" begged Waver as he held on for his dear life.

Rider cupped his chin with his hand, deep in thought.

"Alright then! Since you are such a scaredy-cat, off to the docks we go!" Rider declared with a grin on his face.

"Thank good… Wait a second, the docks?" Waver fear instantly turned to panic as Rider's words sank in. "What happened to observing the battle?"

"Screw that idea. At the rate this fight is progressing, Saber is going to fall. That will not happen before I invite her to join me! Anyway,what better way to evaluate a servant then to engage them instead!" Rider brought his fingers to his mouth, whistling out a low tune. "Come forth! _Raika!_"

Waver heard neighing and then all of a sudden, he saw a horse materialize in front of them. It was a black mare that had modern equipment attached to it. The reins were replaced with motorcycle handles and the horse's rear had six bike engines attached to it. Since when ancient Japan had motorcycles, Waver thought to himself. However, his thoughts were cut short when Rider plonked him onto the saddle.

"Hold on tight Master! " Rider crossed his arms as he stood at Waver's back. "The Blue Dragon of the North has arrived! Prepare yourselves, servants! Let's party!"

As if on cue, Raika galloped forward, surging towards the docks. "Riderrrrr!" Waver screamed all the way whereas Rider just laughed and had a huge grin plastered on his face. 'YAHOOOO! HERE WE GO!"

**Elsewhere on the docks**

Kiritsugu Emiya and Hisau Maiya spied on the fight from somewhere amongst the crates and factories in the vicinity of the docks. From what he could see, despite Lancer's small body frame, his strength far surpassed Saber's. Although Saber had the advantage in speed due to her Prana Boost ability, Lancer didn't seem to be affected too badly. He was able to take everything that Saber had thrown at him and then some. Despite Saber slashing him across the chest, Lancer did not a shed a drop of blood. Like his wife, Kiritsugu could not recall any legend of a pale skinned hero who had iron-clad skin.

And those were Kiritsugu's concerns about Lancer alone. His Master was another matter altogether and he has not revealed himself till now.

"Someone has erected a barrier," Kiritsugu told Maiya over the microphone in his ear. "Probably the Master of Lancer."

"He is probably at the crane. It's the best vantage point of the docks." Maiya responded, turning her direction to face the crane.

"You think they will arrive, the other servants?" Maiya asked Kiritsugu who gave a grim smile in reply.

"I believe Saber isn't the only Servant to receive Lancer's challenge. Judging from the size of Lancer's "invitation", I am guessing all the servants have noticed. It's only a matter of time when they are here."

"Maiya, approach the Eastern Wharf. I'll come from the West so I can observe the crane and battle at the same time."

"Roger," came Maiya's reply before she hurried off to her position.

Kiritsugu then turned his attention back to the battle below him. "Show me what you can do, my adorable King of Knights."

Unknown to Kiritsugu and the other servants, someone else was observing the battle from a far. Archer stood crouched atop one of the crates a good 50 yards away from the battle. In her hands was a musket that had blue streaks and a holographic scope attached. Like the other servants, she had received the challenge as well. Although she was eager to head out to battle, Tokiomi had requested her to watch over the match instead.

"Master, I have Kiritsugu Emiya as well as the two servants in sight. Can I take them?" Archer's finger rested lightly on the trigger, ready to pull it at a moment's notice.

"Not yet," came Tokiomi's reply, causing Archer to remove her finger. "Keep me updated on the battle. We will leave Kiritsugu Emiya alone for now."

"Ok," Archer pouted. She wanted some action. It was cold and lonely up here on the crate. Down there, at least she had something to keep her preoccupied instead of doing recon-duty.

"Haiz…" Archer sighed. She was going to be stuck up here for a while.

**Crane**

Kayneth did not believe his eyes. Was that servant really of the Lancer class? From the way he fought and countered Saber's blows, he was definitely more suited to be a Saber. No, he would take that back. From the brute strength behind his attacks, a Berserker would be more benefitting of his status. This made Kayneth very ecstatic. It seemed like his servant was not as worthless as he thought after all.

**Docks**

Saber watched as the energy waves that Lancer was giving off began to dissipate. They started channeling themselves through Lancer's katana, causing it to glow a bright green and hum.

"_Luz de la Luna"_ The energy waves immediately disappeared, revealing Lancer's new weapon. The energy waves absorbed by the katana had caused it to now take the form of a luminous green javelin.

"So that's his Noble Phantasm." Saber noted before she watched him disappear right before her eyes with a burst of sound.

"Where did he…" Saber glanced around, trying to locate Lancer only for him to appear right behind her.

"Too slow," Lancer remarked. As soon as he finished talking, blood gushed out from Saber's back, a clean slash appearing. Saber's eyes widened as she felt the pain kicking in and fell to her knees. "When did he?"

Lancer said nothing, swiveling his javelin and placing its tip against Saber's back. As he raised it for the killing blow, Saber used whatever strength she had left to apply Prana Burst to her legs, dodging the attack at the last second. As Lancer's javelin struck the ground, there was an explosion of mana, leaving a gaping crater where Saber last was. Saber eyes' widened in fear. If that blow had struck her, she would be dead by now.

Apparently, Lancer wasn't going to give her any time to rest. In another burst of sound, Lancer was gone again, this time reappearing inches away from her face. He thrust his javelin straight for Saber's head with the latter having only a few micro-seconds to dodge. The attack shaved off some of Saber's hair but what surprised Saber was that everything in the path of the javelin was scorched and shattered.

"What was that," Saber thought to herself as she readied her blade. Lancer followed up with multiple thrusts, all of which Saber barely dodged or blocked in time. Cuts slowly began to form on her body and her armor was beginning to chip where the thrusts grazed her. Lancer then swung his javelin in a wide arc at Saber. Saber leapt back in an attempt to gain some distance when she felt a shockwave slam into her gut. "Arggh!" Saber coughed up some blood and her eyes widened. That was when Saber noticed that Lancer's javelin's tip was glowing slightly and the air in front of her was also a slight tinge of green. "So that's how it works," realization dawned on Saber.

"I finally figure out how you Noble Phantasm works, Lancer," Saber declared with a grim smile on her face as she regained her footing. "If I'm not wrong, each time you strike, you channel your prana to the tip of your javelin and you can control when you do so as well. In addition, with each thrust or swing of the javelin, you release some of the prana into the air, creating a shockwave to hit enemies that are out of you range or to deal extra damage."

"Very observant of you Saber," Lancer remarked. "For someone who had taken a beating from it, it took you long enough to figure out its ability. However this doesn't change anything. In my next attack, you will fall."

Saber grimaced and watched as Lancer readied his stance, preparing to strike at a moment's notice.

**Crates**

Unknownst to both servants, Kiritsugu's eyes widened as he peered out of his scope. Lancer's revealed ability was truly frightening at the very least. A single intended hit was all it would take to kill Saber. To make matters worse, he could cause a potential lot of collateral damage, putting Irisviel at risk as well. He had to find Lancer's Master soon before things got out of hand.

Kiritsugu turned his attention to the crane where he had speculated Lancer's Master to be. True enough, according to the heat vision he was looking through; there was someone atop the crane. Kiritsugu began to take aim, his finger now resting lightly on the trigger of his sniper rifle. Then, all of a sudden, he heard a ripping sound coming from the west.

Kiritsugu adjusted his aim and turned in that direction. On top of one of the warehouses sat an infant draped in a black cloak, watching the battle as well.

"Assassin?!" Kiritsugu's eyes widened as he stared at the servant.

"Maiya, do you see Assassin on the warehouse?" Kiritsugu radioed over, hoping he was just imagining things.

"Yea, I do. Shouldn't Assassin be dead?" Maiya's voice was full of worry. They had not expected the servant to be still alive after that onslaught.

"Maiya, keep an eye out for Assassin. I'll deal with Lancer's Mas…" As the words left his mouth, Kiritsugu felt his hands feeling very empty. His sniper rifle was gone.

"How?" Kiritsugu immediately grabbed his spare rifle and zoomed in onto Assassin. In the servant's hands lay his sniper rifle, burning in black flames with Assassin shaking a finger at them despite his eyes trained on the battle occurring below.

"Shit." Kiritsugu cursed under his breath. Assassin knew they were there. The fact that he had not killed them all yet was that he wanted them to watch the battle unfold.

He was going to have to ride this out.

"Please stay safe, Iri."

**Docks**

Saber gripped her blade tightly. At the rate that this battle was going, she was the one that was going to die. She was out of stamina and Lancer was just getting warmed up. Her only option left was to unsheathe Excalibur and defeat him in a single hit. It was the only way to win. With that thought, her lips parted.

"_Release the Wi…"_

Before she could finish, blue lightning flashed all around them and a distinct battle cry could be heard followed by screaming. Both servants looked up and saw a blue samurai standing on a horse rapidly descending towards them. In front of the samurai was young man grabbing the reins till his knuckles turned white, tears flowing freely from his eyes. Both servants leapt back and an instant later the horse slammed its hooves onto the ground, generating pulses of lightning that scorched the earth. Saber, Lancer and Irisviel shielded their eyes from the dust cloud and burning asphalt. When they opened them, they beheld the samurai and his companion who was already foaming at the mouth.

"Both of you listen up!" The samurai held out his arms and declared. "Clean those ears of yours and all eyes on me!"

All three of them just stared at the samurai in shock. Who the hell was he?

"I have ridden across all terrains the world has to offer! I have defeated foes that would have made the earth tremble! Who am I? I am the One-Eyed Dragon, Date Masamune, Rider class of this Holy Grail War! Forsake the Grail and join me in the spirit of conquest and domination! All who submits shall be treated as friends, as my equal!"

Question answered.

Waver, who had finally recovered from his state of unconsciousness, grabbed Rider by his cloak. "Rider, what are you doing! First you drop us out of the sky into a fight, and then you reveal your name! Are you crazy!"

"Hell yea I am! I was crazy enough to miss out of this party!" Rider grinned madly and laughed out loud.

Saber and Lancer just stared at Rider with their jaws hanging till they finally recovered enough to speak.

"I refuse," Lancer laid out flatly. "I serve only one Master. His words are my command. Until he is dead, I will follow no other."

"Shit. And here I was hoping you would join me. What say you Saber?" Rider cocked his head in Saber's direction.

"Honestly Rider, did you interrupt our match just for that ridiculous speech of yours. Besides I am a king." Saber stared at Rider in defiance. "A king responsible for the well-being of the kingdom of Britain. No matter who you are, I refuse to lower myself to that of a subject."

"The king of Britain you say," Rider's eye widened in surprise. "Your legend spreads to lands as far as ours. Though I was expecting a man, not some young girl who is still wet behind her ears."

A tick formed on Saber head and she narrowed her eyes. Another insult. "How would you like to face this girl in battle then Rider?" She asked in a dangerous tone.

"That's the spirit! I am dying for some action here. Let's get this party started!" Rider grinned maniacally as he drew his own katana.

Suddenly, a new voice boomed out. "So, Waver Velvet, you were the one who stole my catalyst."

Waver's eyes widened in fear and he fell to the ground shaking like a leaf. "N-no way! It can't be him..."

Kayneth's smirk was almost audible as he echoed from a far. "I wonder what madness possessed you to steal my relic. I never expected you of all people to take part in the war, Waver Velvet."

Waver was sweating buckets now, his eyes widening even further as he gripped Rider's cloak. Rider was no longer smiling at this point, keeping strangely silent.

"How would you like me to privately school you?" Waver was already beginning to cry in fear as Kayneth continued. "It would be how mages kill one another. I would teach you all the pain and agony involved…"

"SHUT UP!" Rider roared, snapping Waver out of his fear. "Whoever you are, I take it you were to be my Master. Well here's a message for you. You are a coward!" Waver stared at Rider in surprise as the servant continued. "Only one who dares to ride and fight alongside with me can be worthy of being my Master. Though the boy is a nervous wreck, he has shown more bravery than anyone I have known. He is worthy of being my Master, a member of the Oushu army, unlike some spineless coward who only hides in the shadows."

Kayneth scowled at Rider's remarks. "It seems that it was a good thing that you stole my catalyst Waver, Velvet. You saved me the trouble of a disobedient servant. Lancer, kill them all."

"Yes my Master," Lancer spun his javelin once more, taking up a battle stance.

"Wait a second," Rider held his hand out, signaling Lancer to stop. Saber and Irisviel both stared at Rider. What now?

"A party of three is not fun at all. Don't you agree my fellow servants?" In a swift motion, Rider drew three more swords into his left hand. "Show yourselves, and let's have a riot!" Rider then threw the swords into three different directions much to the surprise of Saber and Lancer.

All swords hit their targets.

The first one sliced into the musket that Archer was aiming from, rendering the weapon useless. The second sliced the warehouse roof that Assassin was seated on, causing him to leap onto the ground. The third one landed right in front of Berserker who had just assisted Kariya to the docks.

A single thought crossed all their minds in that instant.

"How the hell did he know?"

Back on the ground, Rider just smirked. With this, six of the seven have arrived to join the battle.

**Hi guys! Guess what, some lazy author has finally managed to piece together another chapter! In response to a pm, I have shown Lancer/ Ulquiorra's capabilities to the max against Saber. Poor Saber-chan. To the Bleach fans out there, sorry for messing with Ulquiorra's abilities regarding his javelin. Rest assure though, this won't affect his release stages. Stay tuned for the next installment whereby the docks battle continues. And now for the skill sheet for Archer.**

**Class: Archer**

**Spirit: Mami Tomoe (Puella Magi)**

**Armaments: Muskets**

**Alignment: True/Good**

**Strength: C**

**Endurance: D**

**Agility: A**

**Mana: C**

**Luck: B**

**Independent action: B**

**Capable of remaining in this world for two days without an established contract. Also capable of living on for a short period of time after suffering extensive damage on his spiritual core.**

**Archer's jewel provides sufficient mana for her to remain materialized in the world in the case that she has no master. In case of the need to use Noble Phantasms, the jewel is also able to supply the mana required though limited to once a day.**

**Item Construction: A**

**The skill to manufacture magical items**

**Archer can recreate as many muskets as she wants as well as designating the type of bullets they can fire**

**Clairvoyance: C**

**Connotes superior visual perception and dynamic occipital capture, such as to supplement the long-range aiming of projectile weapons.**

**Archer is capable of keeping track of fast-moving object within a range of 4kms**

**Noble Phantasms**

**Musket Ballet: C++ ~ A+**

**Utilizes all muskets and fires them simultaneously from above. Similar to the Gates of Babylon, portals will appear behind the muskets, indicating that they are come from an interdimensional space. Upon firing, muskets will all fade away.**

**Binding Ribbon: C**

**Ribbons will appear out of the bullets that Archer fired and restrict the indicated target. Anything above Strength Class B will be able to break free after struggling.**

**Arms change : E~A+**

**Archer can change the type of ammunition fired from her muskets ranging from shotgun shells to cannon balls. However, this does not change the number of times each weapon can fire aka once.**

**Tiro Finale: A++ Anti Army type**

**Archer's ultimate and signature Noble Phantasm. Archer summons forth an enormous percussion lock cannon as a final attack. Able to fire it from any position and is triggered by Archer's mental link allowing her to fire it without touching the cannon or being separated from it. Attack consumes large amount of mana and more than twice a day usage will result in breathlessness and confusion for Archer.**


	5. Battle of the docks part 2

**Crates**

Archer gazed at her sliced musket. The sword had cut through the barrel, all the way to the round loaded inside it. If she had pulled the trigger, the musket would have effectively exploded in her face. For Rider to have noticed her from such a far distance, he probably had a high levelled Presence Detection skill. She hurled the broken weapon aside and got up from her sniping position. "What now Master?" Archer spoke over the mental link.

Tokiomi scratched his beard as he pondered over his next course of action. Rider knew Archer's current position already. If she didn't appear, Rider would most likely go after her. Furthermore, it was only a matter of time before she had to show up anyway.

"You may go and confront them." Archer face lit up with glee. It was about damn time she got her cold ass off the crate. "Yes Master," she replied in a composed manner but deep inside, she was excited. She could finally have some company though they may albeit a bit hostile. It still beats being alone in the night. Plus, she could finally settle the score with the ero-baby. With a smile on her face, Archer descended from the crate and walked towards the docks.

**Elsewhere**

"Master?" Berserker gazed at Kariya who was also deep in thought. The original plan was to wait for Tokiomi's servant to appear but it seems that now he did not have a choice.

"Respond to the challenge," Kariya replied "But stick to the original plan. Annihilate Tokiomi's servant first."

"Roger that," Berserker gave a nod as he assisted Kariya in sitting down.

"I'm going!" Berserker announced as he bid Kariya goodbye before turning to silver dust. Kariya briefly waved his hand as a sign of farewell but as he did, he felt a pang of pain in his chest. He felt bad. Berserker was a very nice boy; he shouldn't be involved in the Grail war at all. The way he cared for him, a total stranger, was like he was a part of his family. The boy was like a ball of hope for Kariya as well as a source of warmth. For a long time in his life, Kariya had never experienced any love or care until now.

"Please stay safe, Berserker." Kariya prayed fervently to whatever god he still believed in.

**Docks**

"And here they are!" Rider outstretched his palm in said direction. As if on cue, two figures appeared, walking in from two different directions. One was dressed as a schoolgirl and decked out in yellow whereas the latter was wearing clothing that resembled a priest.

Irisviel gasped as she looked at both of them. They were both only in their early teens. Just what kind of heroic spirits were they to have resided in the Throne of Heroes?

"Hello there," The priest scratched the back of his head as he waved in greeting. "I'm the Berserker of this war. Nice to meet you guys."

That caused everyone's eyes, save for Rider's, to widened. A Berserker not influenced by Madness? That's not something you see every day.

"Oh yea," Berserker looked as though he suddenly recalled something. "Which of you is Archer?" Archer turned to face him. "That would be me." She called out in a cheerful voice. "Let me introduce myself. I'm…" Archer was cut off when a metallic silver arm shot towards her head. She barely had enough time to react, tumbling to one side to duck the fatal blow. When she recovered, she saw the claw retract. It was the left hand of Berserker.

"What are you doing, Berserker?" Archer narrowed her eyes as she summoned forth another musket, aimed straight for Berserker.

"Sorry about that," Berserker's voice was low and filled with danger. "But I have been ordered to kill you first. I am sorry but I have made a promise to someone and I intend to keep it." Berserker's left eye was now glowing red and had two gears revolving in front of it.

"Great and here I thought I could make some new friends. Well, too bad. Guess I have to fight you then." Archer replied with a sad smile as she raised her musket.

Without a word, Berserker charged towards Archer. Archer responded by summoning another three muskets and fired all of them simultaneously one after another at Berserker. Berserker just raised his left arm as a shield, guarding against all the shells while still charging forward. Archer's eyes widened as she watched the shells ricochet off just as Berserker closed the gap. With a yell, he raised his left arm and smashed it onto the ground, intending to crush Archer. Archer jumped up and avoided the attack, summoning another two muskets and fired upon Berserker.

"Tch!" Berserker claw suddenly expanded to three times its size. Berserker than ripped out a huge chunk of the ground and hurled it towards Archer. "Child's play." thought Archer as she smashed it into pieces with the butt of her muskets. Little did she realize that one of the pieces was larger than the rest. And behind it was a waiting Berserker. Archer suddenly felt a pressure to the side of her head and before she knew what was going on, Berserker hurled her through another stack of crates. As Berserker watched her fly, he followed suit as well, vanishing into the cloak of dust and rubble. "Come on!" Archer released a dozen more shots whereas Berserker let out a war cry.

"Awww man! I haven't even asked them yet!" Rider grumbled as he heard the sound of explosions and slashes from the other side of the docks. "Tch and here I was hoping to have a battle with either."

"Alright, where are you, you sneaky bastard!" Rider called out into the open air. "I know you received my invitation as well!"

Waver barely heard the distortion of space from above him. A miniature portal opened up and from within, a bladed chain launched itself towards his head.

"Look out!" Irisviel yelled out at the young Master. Waver turned his head, watching the chain approach him in slow motion. Waver's entire life flashed before him as the blade neared. "No, it can't end like this!" Waver thought desperately as tears began trickling out of his eyes. He was going to die.

But then again, he did not. As Waver closed his eyes awaiting the final blow, it never came. When he re-opened them, he was surprised. In Rider's hand held the chain, millimeters away from his forehead. "Rider," Waver whispered.

"Your fight is with me! So don't go attacking the innocents you bastard!" Rider growled as he tugged the chain with all his might. "Damn!" thought Assassin as he was sent hurling out of his own dimension. And right into Rider's outstretched fist. "Take this!" Rider plummeted his fist into Assassin's gut, sending the smaller servant flying.

"Blegh!" Assassin spat out a mouthful of blood as he flipped himself, balancing himself on a crate. Rider stared him down, pointing at him and declaring: "Fight me like a real man dammit! Seems like your courage is just as small as your size huh!" That caused a tick to form on Assassin's head. Again with his size!

"Rider," Waver began, only to be met with Rider's trademark grin. "Relax Master. As long as I am here, no one will lay a hand on your wimpy ass!" Waver's gratitude instantly vanished. He was still treating him like a coward and a weak one as well.

"Well then, shall we get the game going Assassin?" Rider drew his katana and readied a battle pose. His eye was reflecting composure but his grin said otherwise. He was going to enjoy this. However, this seemed to anger Assassin!

"That eye! It is the same as his! You both think you are better than me do you!" Assassin spat with venom. A huge wave of killing intent began to emanate from him, causing Rider to tighten his grip. "No more. No one will not look down on me anymore! I will be free from that gaze of yours! And I will finally show you whose boss!"

"Huh?" Rider wondered aloud. He had no idea who Assassin was talking about but he did not lower his guard. Something big was coming.

"_PRESENT PLEASE!"_ Assassin roared as a fountain of black mana erupted from his pacifier, completely engulfing him. In that instant, the air became extremely dense, making it difficult for all the Masters present to breathe. As the mana died down, Assassin had changed. Assassin was now the size of a regular servant. The bandages on his body had fallen off, revealing an albino body that was swathed in scars. His face was also fully revealed. It looked like that of a 10 year old child, except that he possessed glowing red eyes. Eyes that were burning with fury and hatred.

"So that's your true form eh?" remarked Rider. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Still so cocky. Guess I'll have to spill your guts out before you will wipe that smug grin off your face!" Assassin let a small smile creep onto his face. Without a word, Assassin went for Rider who smiled wildly. "Come on!"

Reinforced fist met with katana, causing a massive shockwave that shattered the earth and blew the crates away like leaves in the wind. Both parties were smiling, eager to be the last one standing as well as enjoy the battle.

**Shadows**

Unknown to all the servants, each of their shadows had a small crimson eye on them. The eye recorded down their battles as well as kept watch on them, relaying all information to Caster.

Deep within the shadow realm, Caster calculated his options. He could just simply observe from the darkness, refusing to participate in this confrontation and save his strength for the upcoming fights. Or he could descend in as of now, defeating and possibly annihilating all of them in one fell swoop. With the exception of one of them, the rest were all just humans. If they were ants, he was a boot, meant to crush their tiny corpses. He was a homunculus after all, a being that neared the edge of godhood. Nothing in this world could ever come close to him.

Also, his Master had asked for a souvenir. The fool made Kimblee seem like a god in his work but for now Caster would put up with it. He was still his Master. As long as he was useful and provided him with prana, his life would be spared. After all, pawns should be used to their fullest abilities.

"Well then," Caster stood up, having made up his mind. "It's about time I took Centre stage." All around him, eyes and jaws emerged from the shadows, grinning as they stood by ready to claim the first victims of the war. Caster then commanded, "Arise my brother."

From the swirling shadows, red lightning began to course through the air as matter began to form. It slowly began to take on the shape of a fat man. The man was bald and had red lining connecting from the back of his shirt all the way to his forearms. He wore a brown tight suit that caused his overwhelming belly to become even more obvious. The man was drooling all over the place and there was a tattoo of a dragon on his tongue.

"Pride, I smell lots of different smells. Can I eat all of them?" The man continued to drool as he directed his question to Caster.

"Yes Gluttony, they are all yours to eat." Caster replied with a smirk.

"YAY! It's a buffet!" Gluttony cried out in joy as he rushed off, eager to satisfy his hunger. Caster just simply crossed his arms, waiting to see what happens next.

**With Rider and Assassin**

"Orreaaah!" Rider swung his katana in a crazed fashion at Assassin. Left, up, right, backwards, stab, there was no identifiable pattern in his attacks, making any normal being face difficulty in dodging them all. However, Assassin was no normal human. As the leader of a mafia police force, he was used to dealing with some of the harshest criminals the world has ever witnessed. Each of Rider's moves was parried and retaliated with great elegance. Assassin dodged another of Rider's vicious slashes and responded with another punch. Rider guarded against it but was sent staggering a few steps back from the force. "Damn," Rider growled as he glanced at his katana. It was cracking at where Assassin had struck. Guess the servant wasn't kidding when he said he was going all out. Rider just let out a roar as he spun his sword upwards from the ground in a vertical slash, trying to cut the nimble servant into two.

Assassin fell back as Rider tried to catch him in his windup, firing off all the chains he held around his arms: a grand total of six. Rider dodged all of them at the last second, watching as all of them exploded harmlessly around him. The explosions created a dust cloud in which Rider took advantage of, charging in headfirst as it obscured Assassin's vision. "Take this!" Rider roared as his katana became charged with blue lightning, swinging it downwards onto the unsuspecting Assassin.

Assassin never saw it coming till the last moment. But he did not fall, simply smiling as he winked out of existence. "What?" Rider's face was that of surprise as his blade slashed through the clean air. All around him, he heard Assassin's mocking voice. "Fool, you are so predictable. Taking advantage of the dust cloud was within my calculations."

"Tch!" Rider growled as he raised his guard, not knowing where Assassin would hit from. In a flash, Assassin struck, doing a dropkick on Rider's back, causing the said servant to wipe the floor. Assassin followed up by grabbing onto Rider's legs as he fell, spinning him in a wide arc which started to resemble a cyclone as Assassin built up momentum. "Time to fly!" Assassin roared before hurling him into a stack of crates

"Gah!" Rider coughed out as he felt his breath leave his lungs. To make matters worse, his katana was sent flying out of his hands He was utterly defenseless now. "Die!" Assassin charged, his fist aiming for Rider's skull. Now it was Rider's turn to smile. "Don't underestimate me!" Rider then flicked up his left hand. In it were three shining blades. Assassin noticed them too late. The blades dug deep into his flesh, tearing through his arm and chest. "Shit!" Assassin growled, warping away just as he felt them beginning to reach his vital organs. He then reappeared a short distance away, now clutching his right arm where the blades tore through. It was mangled to the point whereby a simple shake would have caused it to drop.

"So how dya like my claws Assassin?" Rider smirked as he recovered, brushing the dust off his body as he went to retrieve his fallen katana. Assassin said nothing. Something was not right here. When he clashed with Rider earlier, Rider strength was so weak that he could easily parry his blades with bare fists. And yet this time, they tore through him like butter. "Your katanas', they did something to your strength didn't they?" Assassin's eyes narrowed as he stared down Rider.

"Hell yea! It's my Noble Phantasm, _Counting game_. For each katana I wield, my strength stat is boosted up by one rank!" Rider declared proudly which caused Assassin to snarl. If what Rider was saying was the truth, then counting the number of sheaths he had, he was only using half his strength. How infuriating.

"Well then, since we have gotten the pleasantries out of the way, how about we both get serious." Rider instantly sheathed all his swords in one swift motion, before drawing all six of them once more. This time, blue lightning was concentrated on each of the blades, causing them to hum with power.

Assassin snorted. He did not like revealing too many of his cards at once but Rider left him with no choice. "_Flame of the Night_" Assassin echoed as black flames coated his limbs and chest. Rider would now have a taste of his full power.

"Let's dance!" Rider declared as both fighters shot towards each other. Rider swiped with his right hand but Assassin evaded it by warping and reappearing behind Rider, unleashing a flurry of blows. Rider spun around, all six of his blades held out as he countered the reinforced hits. Rider then flicked his blades, forcing Assassin back as an energy orb charged between the blades on his left hand.

"_Death Fang!"_ Rider hurled the massive blue orb of lightning towards Assassin. Assassin smirked as he cleaved the orb into half, rushing through the explosion towards Rider "Once more, _Death Fang!_" Rider swung the energy orb on his right hand face on towards Assassin. Instantly, Assassin created a shield of black flames, absorbing the orb and its impact. As the shield died down, a raging Rider was seen swinging all six blades at Assassin's head. Assassin fired two jets of black flames to slow Rider down but Rider cut through it in a second. "Here I come!" Rider spun like a tornado towards Assassin, his blades ripping ferociously around him. Assassinducked to a side and avoided Rider's onslaught. Rider having noticed he missed, stopped spinning. He dug three of his blades into the ground to regain his footing and hurled the other three at Assassin. If not for the lightning infused within them, Assassin would have crushed them with his bare hands. Instead, Assassin warped once more, disappearing into the dimensional space as Rider cleaved the air where he was seconds ago.

"Come on not this trick again!" Rider sighed in frustration as he called back his three blades. Chains of lightning appeared from the hilt of each blade, pulling them back to Rider's left hand. "Its showtime!" Rider roared in excitement as he began to spin all his swords in a circular pattern. This time he had a trick up his sleeve to counter Assassin. The air around Rider began to sizzle as electricity coursed through it. A mini cyclone had started to build up around Rider and was growing in size as Rider continued to spin his blades. The wind began to tear at the ground , leaving deep marks on the concrete floor as Rider finalized the preparations for his next attack.

"Eat this! _Crazy Storm!"_ Rider called out as he slashed the air with all his blades. The cyclone instantly grew in size and began to spread out all around Rider. The electrical current then began randomly striking out at all the empty spaces around Rider, effectively creating a barrier of wind and lightning. Assassin's eyes widened as the lightning ripped through the dimensional portal he was hiding behind, shocking him and dragging him back into the docks.

"GRRAAHH!" Assassin roared in pain as he fell out of his portal. "There you are," Rider announced with a glee on his face. "Ready to surrender and join me?"

"Never," Assassin spat out with venom, the flames on his body blazing even harder. Just as he was about to rush Rider, there was a loud scream which pierced the air. The next second, a bald and fat male was sent hurling down their direction. Both servants leapt out of the way as he continued to tumble end over end, before finally crashing into a crane which then collapsed on top of him.

"Caster?"

**Other side of the docks with Berserker and Archer**

"Ouch," Archer rubbed the back of her head as she sat up from the rubble. Berserker had thrown her all the way to the other end of the docks. "This is no way to treat a lady." She grumbled as she brushed the dust of her clothes.

All of a sudden, Archer detected movement behind the dust cloud. "Darn," she thought as she back flipped, narrowing dodging Berserker's claw. Berserker grunted in frustration. He missed her yet again. If anything, Archer was fast. Berserker then slammed his claw onto the ground, propelling himself into the air to chase Archer.

"Take this pretty boy." Archer thought to herself as summoned forth six muskets, firing all of them at Berserker. Berserker twisted in midair to avoid the first five before catching and crushing the last shell with his claw. After which, he followed up with a quick slash towards Archer's chest. Archer saw the attack coming and brought forth two of the empty muskets to parry the blow. Berserker's claw crushed them like paper balls in an instant and the resultant shockwave was sufficient to cause send Archer into the ground. "Gah!" Archer coughed out as she hit the floor hard. Berserker strength was definitely worthy of his class. Without a moment to rest, Berserker sent his claw plummeting towards her once again.

"Crap!" Archer created another Musket and held it up to intercept the incoming blow. A loud pinge sound emitted as the claw collided. Thankfully, the musket held out this time. Archer had created this one out of steel but the cracks appearing on its side showed that it wouldn't last any longer. With her free hand, Archer brought forth another musket and aimed it for Berserker's body. Berserker's eyes widened as he noticed the barrel. As Archer pulled the trigger, Berserker retracted his claw, bringing it to bear in front of his chest, blocking the shot.

This got Archer thinking. Recalling from their earlier skirmish, Berserker's claw could easily guard against her shots. So why did he have to protect his body if his skin was already bulletproof. Unless…

It was worth a shot. Archer got up from the ground and fired another half a dozen shots at Berserker as she rushed towards him. Berserker brought his claw before him once more to guard, deflecting all the bullets again. As he did so, Archer kept firing, closing the gap between them as she did so. "What is she trying to do?" Berserker thought just as she got into striking range. Without further ado, Berserker raised his claw again, swiping towards Archer from the left.

"_Binding Ribbon!"_ Ribbons immediately grew out of the shells that were Berserker's claw, effectively holding it in place mid-strike. "It's useless!" Berserker called out as he flexed his muscles, and within a second snapped the imposing restraints. But a second was all Archer needed. So intent was Berserker on his left arm that he failed to see the musket that Archer summoned. As he broke free, she pulled the trigger. Berserker had barely enough time to move aside to avoid the near fatal wound but it took him through his right thigh, causing blood to spurt out from the wound. "Damn!" Berserker thought as he leapt back on his remaining good leg.

Archer's guess paid off. The fact that Archer could wound him meant that only his left arm was invulnerable. The rest of his body was solid flesh and bones. That advantage made Archer smile. She now knew Berserker could be hurt. As for his left arm, she had a special something to deal with it as well.

Archer summoned about 20 muskets and left them to fire automatically as she worked on her latest creation. Even with one leg, Berserker managed to hop around nimbly to evade all the shots. "Gotcha!" Berserker declared as he cleared through the hail of bullets, his claw cocked back and ready to slash Archer. "That's my line." Archer replied as she whipped out a new musket. This one was largely different from the rest. It was pitched black and had an extended barrel as well as two blue rings around the ammo clip. As Archer pressed the trigger, the musket kicked back violently against Archer. She grimaced in pain as she felt a snap in her shoulder. However, the same could not be said for Berserker. The shot fired tore through his entire arm and exited from his elbow. "Arrrghh!" Berserker screamed as he fell back, clutching his injured claw and inspecting the injury. Whatever she fired, it was strong enough to tear through his Innocence.

"Thank God I managed to convince Tokiomi to buy me that gun magazine." Archer thought to herself with a smile. The magus had been adamant about getting the magazine, claiming it was a disgrace to him but when Archer convinced him that it would be vital in winning the War, he finally relented. The shot she had just fired was an Anti-Material Rifle shell. The origins of the anti-materiel rifle go back to the First World War, during which the first anti-tank rifles appeared. While modern tanks and most other armored vehicles are too well protected to be affected by anti-materiel rifles, the guns are still effective for attacking unarmored or lightly armored vehicles. For the bulletproof arm of Berserker, it was the ideal weapon.

"It's time to end this charade." Archer declared, believing that she now had Berserker on the ropes. "_Musket Ballet_!" Archer called out and within a split second, thousands of ripples materialized in the air. Muskets appeared from them a split second later, all of which were the same as the one she had just fired. All of them were aimed straight at Berserker. "Sayonara." A rain of anti-material shells then descended upon the fallen servant, resulting in a massive explosion and a rain of concrete and dust.

"Too easy." Archer muttered as she took her leave, believing the fight to be over. That was when she heard the sharp whistling of the air being cut. As she turned to find the source of the sound, she felt and immense pain through her left shoulder and hip. "AHHH!" she screamed as she fell forward. "What is this?" As she turned to her left, she noticed a glowing stake embedded in her left shoulder. As she reached to pull it out, the stake began to burn her hand, causing her to retract it in pain. "Impossible, he couldn't have possibly survived that!"

For Berserker, the impossible was possible. As the dust cleared, it revealed an unharmed Berserker. Despite the slight flesh wounds on his arms and legs, he was practically unscathed. "How? I gave him everything I got?" Archer's eyes widened. That was when she noticed that his left arm had changed. It was no longer a claw. The claw had been replaced hollow like object that had three wires connected to the elbow as well as five orange spikes of light at the hollow extension. In all retrospect, it reminded Archer of a gun.

"_Cross Beta" _Berserker replied calmly as he held out his still smoking arm. If he hadn't changed his Innocence form in time, he would have been swiss cheese by then. "You shouldn't turn your back on me so early." Berserker reminded her coldly. Archer gritted her teeth as she got to her feet, still holding her wounded shoulder. "Shall we continue?"

Archer was about to answer when she heard a joyous voice ring out into the night. "MEAT! FRESH MEAT! ALL FOR GLUTTONY!" Both servants turned to the source of the sound which came from behind one of the crates. They raised their weapons respectively and watched as a bald fat man appeared from behind the crates. He was drooling on the floor and held his tongue out as he licked his lips. "Caster?" Both servants thought at the same time.

"Which one? Both look tasty." The man known as Gluttony thought out aloud as he eyed both servants with pure hunger. "I know! Ladies first! Ladies always taste nicer!" he declared as he shot straight for Archer. "Disgusting," remarked Archer as she took aim and fired. The shell flew straight and true, tearing off Gluttony's head, causing it to go splat on the floor.

That was when something horrifying happened. Red lightning coursed around Gluttony headless neck and before the eyes of both servants, it began to grow back. "Instant regeneration!" Berserker thought in horror as he remembered having faced a similar enemy on the island of Edo.

"Aiyaaiyaaiya! That hurts! I don't like to die before I have my fill!" Complained Gluttony once his head grew back. "Now I really want to eat you!" This time he hurled himself towards Archer, jaws opened wide. Archer hurriedly summoned forth another musket, only to have it bitten into two by Gluttony. With a swipe of his arm, Gluttony sent Archer flying into a stack of crates. Archer yelped in pain as she felt her injury become aggravated. As she opened her eyes, she saw Gluttony rushing for her again. As she tried to run, she realized that she was pinned down. Berserker's stake was lodged deeply into the crate, trapping her as well.

"No, I don't want to die again!" Archer thought frantically as tears welled up in her eyes. Gluttony's teeth was just inches from her head. "ITADAKI…" Gluttony's sentence was cut off as an axe kick to his head sent him spiraling into the ground. Archer turned to her savior and her eyes widened in surprise. It was Berserker.

"Why? Why did you save me?" Archer whispered loud enough for Berserker to hear. Berserker rubbed the back of his head as he gave a sheepish smile. "Well, two reasons. The first being that I have to be the one to defeat you. I was ordered by my Master to do so and I intend to follow it, so I won't allow someone else to beat me to it. The second being that I just can't leave a damsel in distress. Besides, it looks like he is a bigger problem than you are."

Upon hearing his reasons, Archer allowed herself to smile despite the situation. Even though he was an enemy, Berserker was still a gentleman. A very kind one at that. Her thoughts were broken as she heard Gluttony get to his feet. "Damn you! I just want to eat!" Gluttony grumbled angrily. "If you are going to interfere, I WILL JUST EAT YOU FIRST!" He then made a beeline for Berserker, pissed at not being able to have his meal.

Berserker just levelled his weapon and let the mana flow through it. His left arm began to hum with life and a yellow light started to glow within the barrel. "Begone!" Berserker declared as he fired his arm- gun. In a flash, hundreds of glowing hot stakes erupted from his weapon, all heading straight for Gluttony. The stakes impaled Gluttony's entire body, causing the homunculus to scream in pain. Even so, Berserker did not stop. Instead he increased the output. More and more stakes began to shoot out of his weapon, all travelling faster than before. After watching Gluttony's regeneration, Berserker did not want to take any chances. With each hit, Gluttony staggered back even more. He was now a glowing ball of sticks that just kept increasing in numbers. A final push and the said being was sent hurling through the crates to the other end of the docks. All the while, Archer watched in amazement. So that was how Berserker survived. He countered thousands with thousands, each cancelling out the other.

As Archer watched on, Berserker snapped the stake off of Archer shoulder and helped her to her feet. Archer nodded in thanks while Berserker motioned towards the direction that Gluttony flew through. "Come on. Let's make sure that guy is dead." Archer nodded with a grim look on her face. With that both servants took off in search of the homunculus.

**With Saber, Irisviel, Waver and Lancer**

Saber watched in awe as the duel between Rider and Assassin proceeded. Rider was like a bloodthirsty beast, striking at every opening he got at Assassin whereas Assassin was like a cold-hard killer, intently watching and countering Rider's every move. Both of them were experienced fighters, each strike was aimed to maim or kill their opponent. Their movements were so fast that even she had difficulty keeping up with their battle even though she was a veteran herself. Both opponents would be deadly foes, just like Lancer.

Speaking of Lancer, Saber instantly recalled the pale servant was yet to be through with her. She immediately picked up a defensive stance as she turned to face Lancer. However, Lancer simply ignored her. He too was fixated on the battle. "My Master has ordered me to observe the battle for now, Saber. We will settle things between us later." Lancer replied emotionlessly without even meeting her gaze. Inwardly, Saber heaved a huge sigh of relief. She did not think her body could hold up any longer against Lancer.

Suddenly a large explosion and some yelling drew her attention back to the battle. Now instead of two combatants, there was a new arrival. The third was a fat and bald man who had multiple glowing sticks sticking out of his body. He had crashed into the crane nearby, causing the said structure to fall onto him.

"Caster?" Saber thought aloud. "No," Irisviel answered quietly while Waver shook his head fervently. They could feel the mana coursing through each of the servants. Saber, Rider, Lancer and Assassin all had mana readings that resembled bonfires. Two more such readings were coming from the West, probably Berserker and Archer. However, the reading from that fat man was nothing more than a spark. It was way too weak to be a servant. But if he wasn't a servant, what was he?

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! That hurts a lot!" Gluttony whimpered as he forcefully removed each of the glowing stakes, wincing each time he did so. Lightning then coursed through his injuries, instantly sealing them up, making him as good as new. All eyes then widened save for Saber and Lancer. That was something you did not see every day. "Instant regeneration," Assassin muttered. Rider nodded in agreement. Although the man before him seemed to be at a lost, Rider was not taking any chances. He shifted his stance and directed his attention to Gluttony. Assassin, seemingly also understanding the threat he posed, also turned to face the common enemy.

"*sniff sniff, OOOHHH! Lots of new scents! I smell more meat! But, that women there. She smells just like Pride!" Gluttony scratched his chin as he stared at Irisviel. Irisviel subconsciously took a step back. She was terrified and yet curious of that man. The look he was giving her was that of pure, unsated hunger and yet that was also a look of recognition in his eyes. Just what did he mean?

Berserker emerged from the other edge of the docks, carrying an injured Archer bridal style. Rider instantly notice their presence, turning to their direction and waving. "Yo! Berserker, Archer! Weren't you two at each other's throats a few seconds ago? Why so lovey dovey now? Did something naughty happen over there?" Rider gave a big goofy grin at the duo whose faces had both turned beet red. "NO!" both of them hollered back at Rider who was still chuckling in glee. "Rider, that guy…" Berserker started but Rider cut him off, his smile vanishing. "I know. We all saw it. If his ability is unlimited, we are in deep trouble. I say we take this guy out first before we get back to our own spars." Assassin, Archer and Berserker all nodded in agreement.

"Saber," Irisviel started. "I understand. I too will cooperate for now." Saber replied in earnest as she took up her stance beside Rider. "Oh ho, looks like the little girl has come out to play." Rider teased Saber and huge tick formed on her forehead. If not for this imminent threat, she would have cut Rider down there and then. Similarly, Kayneth spoke to Lancer through their mental link. "Lancer, annihilate that thing before dealing with the rest of the servants." Lancer nodded in acknowledgement, drawing his katana and prepared for combat.

Slowly all six servants surrounded Gluttony who now had a very lost and worried look on his face, each of them getting ready to strike. "HERE WE GO!" roared Rider and as if on cue, all the servants rushed towards that single homunculus.

**Shadows**

"That simpleton!" Snarled Caster as he watched Gluttony get surrounded. That idiot managed to get the attention of every single servant in the vicinity. An idiot. Not that Caster wouldn't mind letting him die but to lose a pawn so early in the war did him no good.

"Sigh, if you want something done, you have to do it yourself." Caster muttered angrily as he prepared to rescue his brother.

**Seconds before clash**

The instant each servant took off, all the Masters felt an immense mana source below Gluttony's feet. "Look out!" Waver called out in panic. All servants halted in their tracks and not a moment too soon. A tower of shadows exploded from beneath Gluttony, carrying him into the air. All the shadows had savage grins and bloodshot eyes on them, each carrying huge amounts of killing intent. The servants watched in fear and shock as the shadows climbed higher. Never in their lives have they felt such an enormous power. At the top, the shadows parted like a flower, revealing a small boy with black hair as well as Gluttony. The boy's eyes were cold and unfeeling as he gazed upon the rest of the servants and Masters before he turned to face Gluttony.

"You fool. You let yourself get surrounded and died almost 10 times today." Caster chided Gluttony who was now fiddling his thumbs and staring at his feet.

"But…But, there were so many smells. I couldn't decide who to eat first." Gluttony's eyes suddenly brightened as he recalled something. "Oh ya, Pride. The silver haired women smells just like us."

That caught Caster's attention. Another homunculus? He stared at Irisviel long and hard as he tried to feel for the pulsation of a philosopher stone. Nothing, not even a pinge. Caster decided to file it away for further reference later. "That's enough for tonight. We're leaving." Caster ordered.

"Hold it right there!" Rider called out. "Caster I presume? What makes you think that you could come and crash our party and walk away unscathed?"

Caster held out two fingers. "Two reasons. One, I am stronger than all of you put together. Two, I am immortal. Here's a demonstration." Caster snapped his fingers and multiple shadows shot towards every Master and Servant.

How right he was. The shadows moved so fast that almost everyone had no time to react. Caster's shadows slammed into Berserker and Archer who had barely enough time to block with their weapons but the force sent them flying a good distance away. Assassin and Lancer had somewhat better luck, one warped out of existence whereas the other dodged at the last second. Rider and saber scrambled to protect their Masters and did, but at a cost. The shadows sliced Rider clean at the knees, causing him to yell in pain and fall to the ground having to support himself on his katanas. Saber's armor was like paper, instantly shattering as soon as the shadows made impact, causing her to be vulnerable and exposed. Kayneth had no time to move at all. Even though his Mystic Code had automatically formed a defensive shield for him, Caster's shadow cleaved it into two as well as crane he had been standing on. If not for Lancer catching him in mid-air, he would have fallen to his death.

Caster gave a smirk as he proved his point before allowing the shadows to embrace both him and Gluttony, disappearing without a trace. Now all the servants were weary of Caster. Without a doubt, as of now he was definitely the most powerful servant in this war.

"Lancer, retreat. That's all for tonight!" Kayneth ordered in a worried tone. After witnessing Caster's power, he was going to have to rethink his plans. "Yes, my Master." Lancer obeyed, helping Kayneth to his feet before vanishing in a burst of sound.

"Well then. I guess this concludes tonight's party." Rider said with a smile. Despite his injuries, he still managed to give off an air of cockiness as he declared. "Next time we meet Caster, I will be the one to defeat you! Come on boy, we had plenty of fun tonight. It's time to leave."

"R…Right!" Waver answered nervously as he followed Rider towards Raika. Honestly, he was still shaking like a leaf. He had faced death way too many times that night alone. Maybe it was a bad idea taking part in the war after all. In a flash of lightning, both of them were gone, flying through the skies.

Archer glanced at Berserker. She was still thankful for the rescue but the next time they met, they would be enemies and she would be sure to finish off their match. With that thought in mind, Archer vanished into golden dust.

That left Berserker and Saber. Assassin had long disappeared since Caster's attack. Berserker gave a small smile at Saber, "Well, I should get going as well. I'm guessing my Master would be worried sake after all of this. Till we meet next time but I won't go easy on you though."

Despite the tense atmosphere, Saber gave a small smile. "Likewise to you Berserker." Although Saber did not witness his fight, she could tell that he was a strong servant, and an especially kind one too given how he was carrying Archer.

With that, Berserker leapt over another stack of crates, eager to see how Kariya was holding up. Saber watched as he left, before she and Irisviel took their leave as well.

The battlefield had become quiet once more, the calm before the storm. The opening battle of the Fourth War had just concluded and things were only going to get more intense from here out.

**And Hiya guys! I am terribly sorry for the long period of no updates. Exams are a bitch. Finally finished my papers and as a reward for your patience, this is a longer chapter than usual. Here's a hint for the next update. If you think the war has only seven servants, think again. As I have not thought of a character yet, feel free to recommend any character in the reviews section. Please provide skills and details as well. Many thanks and now for the stats of Berserker.**

**Class: Berserker**

**Spirit: Allen Walker (D Gray Man)**

**Armaments: Innocence (Claw Mode)**

**Alignment: Lawful/Good**

**Strength: A-**

**Endurance: C+**

**Agility: B**

**Mana: B**

**Luck: C**

**Mad Enhancement: E**

**Raises basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities. In some cases, also seals away Personal Skills**

**The Noah inside of Berserker acts as his inner voice as well as source of mental strength, allowing Berserker to nullifying the effects of madness.**

**Battle continuation: A+**

**The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated.**

**Berserker is able to absorb any poisons or dark magic based injuries and heal instantly. A direct result of his cursed eye.**

**Mystic eyes: B**

**The possession of Mystic Eyes that are capable of interfering with the outside world.**

**Berserker is able to discern the class and identity of a servant just by watching their attack patterns. Passive ability but can be forcefully activated if a command seal is used.**

**Uncrowned Arms Mastership: B++**

**Is arms competency that was not recognized by others due various reasons**

**Berserker has mastered the art of brawling as well as swordsmanship when he was alive but the latter did not receive any recognition due to the limited chance to show off his ability. **

**Noble Phantasms**

**Innocence: Second Release: B**

**Berserker's left hand is able to switch rapidly between its claw mode, gun mode and spear mode.**

**Innocence: True mode, Crown Clown: A**

**Berserker reveals the true form of his Innocence which resembles that of a white cloak. Berserker's right arm becomes fused to his Innocence and his left arm turns black and slender, sprouting razor sharp claws. In this form, Berserker is able to use Cross Grave and Edge End, two of his most signature moves. Has to be activated to use Sword of Exorcism.**

**Innocence: Critical Point Broken, Sword of Exorcism: A+**

**True Form of Berserker's left arm. Berserker is able to shave off mana from any entity that the sword cuts as well as cause massive explosions with each swing of the sword.**

**Awakening of the Noah: EX Anti Unit (self) type**

**Must have activated Crown Clown to use. In this mode, Berserker's stats are all raised to EX for 5 minutes. Berserker's skin turns completely black and multiple cross scars appear on his forehead. He is unable to discern friend from foe and attacks everyone and everything he sees or deems a threat. Berserker feels no pain or remorse in this mode and will ignore all his injuries no matter how grave. Verbal commands do not work on Berserker in this mode , only a command seal can be used to call off Berserker, limiting the usage of this form to just three times.**


End file.
